Quagmire
by ILETUDRIVE
Summary: An alternative to the current stalker storyline. Summaries suck but this story doesn't. Please come on in and give it a whirl, and if you do please drop me a line. It's only 11 parts long.
1. Missing You

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Steph's Explanation: This idea came to me while I attempted to watch the current stalker storyline on GH, that only affected 3 people, and was therefore worthless. Storylines should work in a tapestry of characters, it should use a character's history, and the ramifications should be widespread. It shouldn't only focus on 3 people and be instantly forgettable.

Anyway, this story is a variation of the stalking idea. It is full of twists and turns with a cliffhanger every chapter. It is only 11 parts long, so you'll have to let me know if you want to read more of it. It features the characters of Elizabeth, Jason, Carly, Nikolas, Sonny, Courtney, Zander, Chris Ramsey from Port Charles, as well as various other surprises.

One final note this story begins on October 9, 2002, before the stalking story on GH really heated up.

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Distribution: Just ask me first.

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Feedback: Please, like it or hate it I want to know. And if you want the next part's you'll have to let me know.

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Quagmire: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position, or soft, miry, land that shakes or yields under foot.

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Quagmire

~Kelly's~

Today was going to be different. Today she was going to be strong. Today was going to be the first day of the rest of her life. _Her life_. No more living for other people. No more waiting on tether hooks hoping to be noticed, hoping to be wanted. No more watching life pass her by. Today was the first day she was going to start living her life to the fullest, instead of just existing in it.

Promises made, Elizabeth Webber firmed her back, picked up her order and stepped out of the kitchen. Her resolve began to fade the instant her eyes fell on the counter, or, more particularly, the man sitting at the counter.

Jason Morgan turned to look at her the instant she stepped in the room and her steps faltered. _Damn him._ Did he have to pick today of all days to decide to start coming into Kelly's again? Didn't he know that it hurt her, physically, to look at him? Or didn't he care? Chiding herself for the thought and backsliding by thinking about him at all, she forced herself to move again.

"Hey," Jason spoke when she neared him.

Ignoring him Elizabeth set the special down in front of her customer and smiled slightly. "Here you go. Would you like a refill on the coffee?" When the woman nodded she moved and stepped gracefully behind the counter.

"Why are you walking by me like I'm not even here? Are you ignoring me now?" Jason asked. 

"Isn't that what you did? I'm just taking a page from your book." She shot back before she remembered her vow. Deliberately blanking her features, she held up the coffeepot. "I'm serving a customer," she pulled out a menu with her free hand and set it on the counter in front of him. "I'll be with you as soon as I can."

Ignoring the pain she saw in his eyes, she stepped away from the counter. He'd brought this on himself by not trusting her, he had no right to make her feel like the bad guy. After filling her customer's cup, she moved on, it was time to refill everyone's cup, she decided on the spot. She wasn't avoiding the counter, and Jason, she just believed in the old saying that discretion was the better part of valor.

Besides, she realized mournfully when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, Courtney was already there keeping him company.

"I think if you make the cup any fuller I'm going to be wearing the coffee."

The comment caught her off-guard and she focused on the coffee just in time to stop pouring before the saucer overflowed. "Sorry," she grabbed a towel off a dirty table and tried to wipe up her mess.

"It's okay I know your distracted, and I know why." Zander Smith jerked his head in the direction of the counter. "Are you still mad at him?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Elizabeth hesitated then perched on the chair opposite of him. "He lied to me, he hurt me, am I supposed to ignore that?"

Zander shifted slightly in his chair. "Lying is a big deal for you isn't it?"

"After everything that went on with Lucky and with Sarah, lying is a very big deal," she could feel the familiar bitterness rising up inside of her. "All Jason had to do was tell me that something was going on with his job, something that he couldn't tell me about, and I would have understood and let my questions go. But he didn't do that. He left me alone in that Penthouse, which I wasn't supposed to leave, for days at a time while he avoided me. He knew I thought Sonny's death was hurting him. He knew I was worried he was trying to deny his grief, and I warned him, trying to protect him by citing my own bitter personal experience, that denial never worked. But he didn't care enough to tell me this wasn't the case. He didn't care enough to say that I can't talk to you about anything right now, but I will when I can, and I'm going to be okay. The bottom line was Jason didn't care about me. He chose to lie to me instead. So what if he didn't lie to my face, he still lied with his actions, actions that were designed to hurt. The bottom line is Jason didn't give a damn what was going on with me or how I'd feel so why should I care about him now?"

Elizabeth covered her mouth when she belatedly realized how loud her voice had gotten. She could see people watching her curiously and could feel Jason's eyes on her as well and knew that he had heard her as well. So much for her vow. Rising regally she picked up the coffeepot. "Excuse me." She murmured before hurrying for the safety of the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~

Courtney winced in sympathy when she saw Jason's expression. "She's just upset, I'm sure she didn't mean that."

Jason sighed and kept quiet. He knew Elizabeth better than Courtney did, he knew what was driving Elizabeth at the moment. She was hurt and was lashing out because of it. It was just, he had been the one to hurt her this time, and he didn't like that feeling. He'd only hurt her once before, well maybe twice.

The first time he'd hurt her was when he had told her it was too dangerous for them to be friends anymore. Closing his eyes he still had no problem visualizing her happy expression, the way her hair seemed to dance on the collar of her white coat. The expression had faltered when he spoke, the happiness that had only recently returned to her eyes seemed to fade a little more with each word he spoke. Every time he shot down one of her suggestions the more desperate her eyes had become, and the worse he had felt. That was the first time he'd ever hurt her and had never forgotten it.

The second time he'd hurt her was a few weeks later when he'd told her he was leaving town. Again he'd had to take away her happy expression, turning it into one of sadness again. And again hurting her had ripped at him yet he did anyway. In some ways saying goodbye to her that cold day was one of the hardest he'd made. Maybe that was the reason that every time he'd left her since then he'd never told her goodbye face-to-face. He hated to put that look of hurt in her eyes, so he'd always told her goodbye through others.

But now that look of hurt was in her eyes, only this time a look of betrayal had joined it. Both of them had been put there because of his actions and he didn't know how he could fix it, or if he even should try.

"Did you walking me home last night add to why Elizabeth is upset with you?" Courtney asked.

"No," her question was easy to dismiss, he wasn't even sure if Elizabeth knew he'd walked her home. "She's mad because I didn't tell her about Sonny."

"Oh," Courtney refilled his coffee and debated with herself for a minute before speaking. "It would make sense for her to be mad at you. I mean I was mad."

"Sonny was your brother, you thought he was dead," Jason reminded her.

"Yeah but Jason, Elizabeth was involved with you, so you lying to her about Sonny is a lot more serious than, you lying to me. I'm not invested in you personally, she was," she saw him flinch and backtracked, "…is. If we were involved when this went down I would still be angry with you, I don't think I'd even be talking with you yet," she grinned. "But since I'm not and your helping me, I am talking to you."

A grudging smile crossed his lips, she had a point. "Did you get any phone calls last night?"

"No the phone was quiet and I'm glad," her focus moved past him. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to pay," Zander held out some money. "Can you make sure Elizabeth gets the change?"

"Sure," Courtney took the money and moved to the register.

"I bet your glad that Sonny is out of hiding now," Zander commented.

Shifting in his chair Jason studied Zander. "I heard you moved out."

"Surprised? You never wanted me there anyway, you only wanted Elizabeth there," Zander couldn't help but go on. "Well you had her there, too bad you wasted your opportunity," with that dig he turned and headed for the door.

Eyes narrowed in suspicion Jason got to his feet and trailed him out the door. "Zander."

Bracing himself Zander turned around, making sure to keep his expression blank.

Jason studied the younger man and several things that he had noticed since spying him in the diner started to make sense to him. "You remember don't you?"

Zander's eyes flashed once before he blanked them. "What?"

"One of the reasons I work for Sonny is because I notice things, things most people never see. Like the way you not tensing up when someone new walks into the place, your not scanning every face for familiarity." Jason saw the way Zander began to hunch his shoulders, and being an expert on body language he knew he was right. "I also know when people are lying to me. So I'll ask again. You got your memory back don't you?"

Zander briefly considered lying, then knew it was pointless. "What if I do?"

"You should have said something."

"Why? By the time I remembered everything had already came out. The woman on the yacht that was questioning me, I found out last night was Brenda Barrett. By that time you already knew that, hell you probably knew the whole time," Zander commented bitterly.

"You still should've…"

"Have you ever wanted to forget things?" Zander cut him off. "I remembered all about my past, I remember hurting people, I remember framing you, I remember shooting Elizabeth, I remember playing with your head, I remember being so angry at Sonny and Carly that I couldn't think straight. I also remember relying on you to help me, and the fact you did even though you couldn't stand me, surprised me."

"Elizabeth and the fact you knew something," Jason interrupted him. "That's why I helped you."

"I know," wearily he shook his head. "I just want to start over. I want a clean slate. I don't want to be the deviant drug dealer anymore, or Sonny's one time lapdog. I just want to try a new life."

Jason's eyes moved back inside the diner. "Does Elizabeth know?"

"No," Zander shifted on his feet guiltily. "She's treating me like a friend now. Which is more than I deserve and the only thing we ever should have been. If she knows I remember, all the baggage, all the stuff I said to her will come back, and I'll lose my only friend again." He refused to beg but at the same time he had to know. "Are you going to tell her?"

Swallowing hard Jason tried not to let his distaste of Zander overtake him. Zander had said the magic word, Elizabeth considered him a friend now, and he knew how much she needed a friend, even if it was Zander. Clenching his fists he forced the words of warning out. "You see how angry she is with me?" 

Zander nodded.

"She's angry because I lied. Lies come out every time. So you should tell her now." That had been painful to say so he went on with a warning he had no trouble saying. "I won't tell her but if she gets hurt because of you, you will regret it."

Knowing to quit while he was still ahead Zander took his reprieve and Jason's words and left the courtyard quickly.

Rubbing at the kinks in his neck he debated with himself. He wanted to talk to Elizabeth, but that seemed to be the last thing she wanted. Glancing at his watch, he decided to leave for a while and come back later. He hadn't given Carly a chance to yell at him yet, and he felt the perverse need to be yelled at.

He'd only taken a step towards the dock when a scream came ripping out of the diner. By the time he yanked open the door he saw Courtney disappearing inside of the kitchen. Moving quickly through the room, he was very aware of the fact that Elizabeth had never came out of the kitchen. 

Racing through the doorway he saw something that scared the hell out of him. Elizabeth was on the floor near the sink, her body was shaking in pain. Shoving the cook out of the way Jason crouched in front of her. "Elizabeth?" His hand was shaking slightly when he reached out and forced her head up. Tears were streaming down her face and he could see her eyes were full of pain. "What happened?"

"Jason," Elizabeth broke off to moan and her eyes closed.

"Something happened to her arm," Don, the cook volunteered. 

His eyes moved to her arm, he could see a hole in her maroon shirt, and reached for her arm, but she covered her arm and jerked back. "Elizabeth I need to see what happened."

"No," she shook her head and tried to shove him away.

The instant she moved her hand he saw the blood on it, ignoring her actions he reached for her arm again. He could see glass embedded in her arm, along with a vivid red slash, that signaled a burn to him. Blood was coming from of her wound, and he shifted. "Get me a towel."

"Here," Courtney shoved a clean towel in his head. "There's a broke coffeepot in the sink, that must be where the glass came from," she looked over the sink. "Sometimes we put the pot on the ledge over the sink while doing the dishes, it could have fallen on her.

"All right," knowing she more than likely had a burn to go along with glass embedded in her arm he knew she needed more help than he could give her. "We need to go to the hospital."

"No," Elizabeth immediately shook her head and tried to pull her arm free.

"Yes," Jason met her eyes. "You need a doctor, you may need stitches, and you need to have the severity of the burn looked at."

"Bobbie will be here soon," she managed.

"No she won't she's in surgery," Courtney reminded Elizabeth, then inspiration struck. "I don't think we need an ambulance but she can't go alone, Jason can you take her? I can't leave the diner, neither can Don."

"No," her eyes filled with distress. "I can make it fine on my own."

Jason swallowed the hurt he felt at her rejection. "You need someone with you."

"No," she stubbornly shook her head.

"Can you stand?" Jason let go of her arm. "Get to your feet by yourself and I'll let you go alone."

Taking the challenge Elizabeth tried to get up but it was quickly apparent that the pain was so that she could put no weight on her arm.

"Please let me help you," Jason requested softly.

Elizabeth stared at her arm and the slight but steady stream of blood escaping from it. She couldn't even think about the blood, she was too busy trying to deal with the pain of the burn. Biting her lip she tried to stem her tears. The last thing she wanted to do was depend on Jason, and at the same time it was the only thing she wanted to do. Finally she nodded, giving her permission.

Taking her hand he shifted it until it was on top of the cloth on her arm. "I know it will hurt but try to keep some pressure on this." Then shifting he rose with her in his arms.

"I can walk," Elizabeth cried out as the tears continued to fall.

"I know but this is quicker." Jason marveled at how light she felt in his arms. How light and how perfectly she fit there. 

"Call us when you know how bad she's hurt," Courtney called to his departing back.

****

~ER~

"Look we've been waiting for 15 minutes, she's in pain, she needs someone to help her," patience gone Jason snagged a passing nurse and all but growled the words at her. "Now."

The Nurse blinked at the banked fury in the man's eyes, then focused on the woman sitting on the chair beside him who had been softly crying since their arrival. "Why don't you take her in Exam 3," she pointed to a curtain, "and I'll track down a doctor."

"It better be soon," Jason warned her before dismissing her from his thoughts and turned back to Elizabeth. Before he could pick her up she rose on her own and began making her way to the exam room.

"I can manage," she whispered when she felt his steadying hand on her back.

"I know," Jason whispered back and kept his hand where it was. She entered the room and came to a halt in front of the high bed. Catching her off-guard his hands closed on her waist and he lifted her, turning her, until she could sit on the bed.

"Thanks," she hissed out before lying back on the bed and closing her eyes.

Seeing the pain on her face he couldn't help but want to smooth it away, but all he could do was brush her hair from her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't break the coffeepot on me," she kept her eyes closed but didn't pull away from his touch, even though she knew he should.

"You were hurting before you were burned, and that was because of me."

"Don't Jason," she pleaded softly, this time the tears that fell had nothing to do with her physical pain. "I can't handle this right now, I can't handle you. I'm hurt and I can't think, don't do this to me. If you ever cared about me at all, please just leave me alone."

"You know I care about you," his voice was full of emotion.

"Then leave," she opened her eyes and hardened her voice. 

"Elizabeth…" he broke off when the curtain was pulled open behind him.

"So what seems to be the trouble?" A doctor bustled inside the room. "Excuse me," he spoke from Jason's side.

Jason shifted to let the doctor by.

"Thanks for bringing me Jason but you don't have to wait." Elizabeth tried to get rid of him.

"I'll wait," he answered simply.

The doctor's eyes moved from his patient to the man standing next to the bed and he sized up the situation quickly. "You'll have to wait outside then," Doctor Chris Ramsey decided in that instant. "I need to examine her."

"Why…"

"Jason just go," Elizabeth demanded tiredly.

"Fine I'll be right outside." Pivoting angrily he stalked out of the room.

"Now that is an angry man," Chris commented.

"No I'm angry he's the…" she hesitated. "He's the…"

"The person your angry at?" Chris offered.

"Yes," she hissed when he started to pull the sleeve of her shirt from her hurt arm. "Be nice or I'll call him back in here," she warned him. She really hated pain. So much for the rest of her life being better than the previous.

Chris decided he'd better take her words to heart and tried to gentle his hands even more.

~*~*~*~*~

"Jason? Are you okay?"

Opening his eyes he focused on the redhead in surgical scrubs. "I'm fine Bobbie."

"What's going on?" Puzzled she gestured to the small trace of blood on Jason's shirt and took the chair next to him. "You never come to the hospital unless you have no choice."

"Elizabeth got hurt at the diner, I brought her in."

"Elizabeth?" Instantly concerned Bobbie shot to her feet. "Where is she?"

He pointed to the exam room. "It's a burn and a cut. I don't think she'll need stitches, and the burn is probably second degree at most."

"What happened?"

"A coffeepot broke."

"She was using that shelf again wasn't she?" Bobbie sat back down. "I told Don to fix that shelf."

"Bobbie? I've been looking for you." The masculine voice turned disapproving. "And it seems I found you just in time"

Closing his eyes Jason vaguely wondered if his day could get any worse.

"Don't start Tony," Bobbie warned her ex-husband. She knew Jason was close to snapping, and a part of her had been waiting for the time he would snap at Tony for years now, she knew it was only a matter of time.

"What?" Tony Jones asked defensively. "I wanted to thank you for your work in surgery, we saved a life today and you had as much to do with it as I did."

"Thank you," Bobbie beamed at the words but still wished he'd leave. Jason was strung very tight at the moment.

Jason shot up the moment the curtain opened and Elizabeth emerged from the room, in two steps he was next to her.

Chris wasn't surprised to see him and kept instructing his patient. "The cream will take the sting out of the burn. Try to keep it as dry as you can. The prescription I'm giving you will take the edge off the pain. The pills may make you drowsy so you won't be able to drive yourself home."

"I'll take her," Jason spoke up.

"He'll take me, he's great at making sure I get home. He just likes to leave right afterwards," Elizabeth informed the doctor. "He has a leaving problem, do you think there's a pill for that too?"

"Elizabeth," Bobbie stepped up and couldn't help but smile at the goofy expression on her face. The drugs Dr. Ramsey had given her, must have been strong ones.

"Hiya Bobbie," Elizabeth grinned and held up her bandaged arm. "I zigged instead of zagged."

"I can tell."

"She'll be fine, the cuts weren't deep enough for stitches, and the burn is borderline second degree," Chris answered the questions in the surgical nurses' eyes quickly. He had learned not to keep Bobbie waiting for answers.

"Good."

"Another one of your victims Jason?" Tony demanded loudly. "They seem to keep getting younger and more innocent. You won't stop until you destroy everyone's lives will you?"

"Tony," Bobbie whirled on him in warning.

Elizabeth's fascination with her bandage shifted to the man who was insulting Jason. "Do you ever not whine? Since I've met you, or rather since I met Lucky, he's told me about how you blamed everyone else for what you did. So do you ever not whine?"

Tony's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"I mean you kidnapped two people and were never punished for it, I'd think you'd be grateful instead of whining all the time," Elizabeth went on oblivious to the looks she was receiving.

"We better go," Jason took her arm trying to lead her away.

"Thinks about it Jason, the only reason he's alive at all is because you let him live, you'd think he'd get a clue," Elizabeth's rambling mouth continued. "Are you sure he's a neuron, a nucleo, a surgeon? I thought doctor's were supposed to be smart," she eyed her doctor. "Aren't they?"

"I always thought so," Chris Ramsey agreed, loving every minute of the way his patient was making the neurologist squirm.

"That's what I thought. Whoa," she giggled when Jason put his arm around her waist and forced her to move. "Bye-Bye."

"Goodbye Elizabeth," Bobbie called before turning on her ex-husband with a grin. "I warned you not to start."

****

~Studio~

"I like my door," Elizabeth leaned against her door. "It's nice and cool."

"I'm glad you like it," Jason held out his hand. "Can I have the keys?"

"Keys?" Elizabeth blinked in confusion. "I thought you used credit cards. Oh that was me, you break glass," she grinned.

"Where are your keys?" Jason couldn't keep the grin from his face.

"Search me," she held her arms out and smiled up at him.

"Elizabeth."

"I'm serious, search me." She dared him.

Jason eyed her long jean skirt warily. Whatever drug she was on was making Elizabeth behave in a way he wasn't used too, and he knew he couldn't take advantage of it. If there was any chance she would ever forgive him, he had to respect the anger she was feeling for him. 

He jolted in surprise when he felt her hand on the waistband of his jeans and she yanked him closer. "Chicken," she giggled and made a cackling sound.

Cautiously he reached out and brought his hands to her hips before sliding them lower to search her pockets. Elizabeth kept her eyes trained on his, her face inches from his own. He had to remind himself that it wouldn't be right to enjoy the way she felt under his hands. The pockets on the skirt were deep and long, and his hands traveled over a great deal of her thighs before he finally conceded they weren't in her pocket. Forcing himself to step back while he still could, he frowned at her. "Where are your keys?"

"In my bag," she singsonged.

Shaking his head Jason picked the bag up off the floor. Sure enough the keys were inside her bag. Inserting them in the lock, he pulled Elizabeth away from the door before opening it, and she rocked forward resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't like being mad at you," she murmured as he led her in the room.

"I don't like it when you're mad at me either." Giving into temptation he ran a hand through her hair before tossing the keys on her table and guiding her to the sofa.

"You hurt me," she whispered, pulling away she laid down on the couch.

"I know." Picking up her feet he pulled off first one boot then the other and placed them on the sofa.

"Why does everyone I care about hurt me?" Elizabeth asked softly. "Is it something about me?"

"No," crouching beside her he brushed the hair from her cheek. "You didn't deserve this."

"Deserve?" She laughed slightly. "According to people like you I deserve a lot, yet all I ever get is pain. Maybe I shouldn't deserve anything anymore."

"I'm sorry," he repeated uselessly.

"Sometimes sorry isn't enough," she whispered before closing her eyes.

Sighing Jason stayed where he was for another minute, he was worried that she was right. Maybe sorry wouldn't be enough to fix things this time. Getting to his feet reluctantly he set the bag of medicine and supplies on the table next to her answering machine and headed for the door. He flicked the lock on the handle and pulled it tightly closed behind him.

~*~*~*~*~

When Elizabeth woke up she thought something had crawled inside her mouth and died. Her hand dropped automatically for the water bottle she kept on the floor beside the couch. Drinking deeply she shifted and a small shaft of pain shot up her arm. Frowning she looked at the bandage on her arm in confusion. The confusion gradually faded into memory and oh what memories they were.

She remembered Jason bringing her to the hospital, she had a vague memory of leaving the hospital with him as well. She also thought she'd insulted Tony Jones, but hopefully she was mistaken on that point. But she had no memory of how she'd gotten back home. Jason more than likely. She was disquieted at the thought, she didn't want to be vulnerable around Jason anymore. It was too risky for her. Sighing she got to her feet and moved towards the bathroom to wash her face.

~*~*~*~*~

The sound of the phone ringing greeted her when she entered her studio again, but it had stopped by the time she got all the way inside the room. Closing the door, habit had her locking the deadbolt. She had no desire to be kidnapped again, but since it was obvious to anyone, by this point, that she meant nothing to Jason, she was sure her kidnapping days were over, but still she locked it.

Checking the bag on her table she saw wraps and creams, and her salvation, she pulled out a pill bottle. "Drugs are such a good invention," she declared to her empty studio, and scanned a note explaining all the do's and don'ts, and she couldn't help but linger over Jason's economical handwriting, at least until she realized what she was doing.

Disgusted with herself she crumpled the note and tossed it to her wastebasket. She was about to head for her couch again, when the blinking light on her answering machine caught her attention. She had been so upset the night before, and in the morning that she hadn't checked her messages since she'd returned to the studio. She was a little surprised to see the little 53 in her window indicating the message count. She'd never had 53 messages on her machine before.

"Probably telemarketers who's computer didn't hang up in time." She rationalized and hit the play button as she moved to the couch.

__

"Elizabeth I really wish you would return my call once in awhile. Lucky told me you moved in with Jason Morgan, I hope you weren't that foolish."

Audrey Hardy's disapproving tone filled the studio and Elizabeth flinched. "Oh but I was that foolish Gram."

The next several calls were hang-ups and she had almost drifted off when the unsettling sound of breathing filled the studio. Curiosity had her opening an eye. The breathing continued but no words were spoken. Finally the message passed. The next message was a hang-up, then another breathing one.

"Just kids playing," she reassured herself when she began to feel unsettled.

__

"I miss seeing you. Don't you know I count on seeing you?"

The words were so quiet she almost wondered if she had misheard them. Before she could get up and replay the message the next one clicked on.

__

"This is unacceptable, I've been watching you for you years now. As long as I see you every few days, everything is okay. Where are you?"

Jolted she stared at her answering machine like it had sprouted wings. The next message clicked on, and it was a variation of the same. The messages continued on and on, and with each one she sank further into the couch. Her hands were wrapped around a pillow that was locked tightly to her chest. A part of her mind ordered her to get up and stop the messages, especially when they began to turn vulgar. But she couldn't seem to move off the couch.

__

"I love the way you walk, just like a gazelle, not at all like those sluts around you. But you're not just any slut, are you? You're my slut. You moved under me like a dream. I know you still think about me, and I think about you every night."

Revolted Elizabeth shoved her way off the couch. It was time to stop this.

__

"I love you in maroon. It's so close to the red you were wearing that night. You don't wear red very often anymore, especially not that vivid red. The harlot, trampy red. It was the red that drew me to you, that drew me to the slut in you. But I like you in maroon too, I bet I'll like you even more out of the maroon."

Gasping Elizabeth began to shake and froze in the middle of the room.

__

"The last time was so fast but so good. I wonder how your body has changed since you've grown. Will your breasts still fit in the palm of my hand like they did that night? Will you still beg for my touch? Or will you pretend? I like it when you pretend that you don't want me when your eyes say you do."

Elizabeth sank limply on the ground as the memories of the night that changed everything in her life, assailed her.

__

"You need to stay away from Jason though. I tolerated your dalliance with Lucky but I won't with him. You're mine Elizabeth, from the minute you put on your harlot's dress you became mine. Now remember … not a word … about this to anyone."


	2. Confrontations

Please see the explanation on the first part and please leave me a reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part II

****

~Studio~

Elizabeth struggled to re-bandage her arm. Being right handed she wasn't adept at manipulating things with her left hand, so bandaging her arm was rapidly becoming a test of her patience and perseverance.

"Nuts," she yelled and threw the roll of adhesive tape across the room. Apparently she was all out of patience and perseverance. If she remembered right Bobbie was working today, that meant she could bandage her arm for her. One decision down and one to go. She eyed the pill bottle on her table warily. She still had no memory of yesterday afternoon, so she didn't know if she wanted to take another pill. She hated pain but hated memory blanks even more.

Frowning she stared down at the pill bottle that was now in her hand. One of the warning strips on the bottle caught her eye _Take with food_. Well that could explain what had happened to her. She hadn't eaten anything yesterday. In the morning her stomach had been in knots over what had happened with Jason, and then she'd gotten hurt. If she went in to work early she could grab a bite to eat then take a pill.

"Good no more pain." She was now two for two on the decision making track today, that was a great ratio for her.

Unbidden her eye drifted to her answering machine. The little red number 38 met her eye. 38 messages. That's how many were still on her machine. 38 messages of either breathing, or a man's muffled voice. 38 messages that had damn near broke her last night.

"But they didn't and they won't," she vowed to herself. She was tempted to write all of them off as just some kid playing a cruel joke on her. She might have, except for the last message. The last message had been so personal, it had seemed almost familiar. But maybe she was only imagining the hesitation she thought she'd heard when the speaker had said _not a word_. It was possible that her mind was playing tricks on her. By the time that message had played the memories were hitting her full force, so it could have been her imagination.

She could also dismiss the mention of Lucky. Everyone who knew her knew about that relationship. And her leaving Lucky, a rising photographer, at the altar the way she did had even made the local press. Granted it had been page 5 of the Port Charles Herald's society section, but it had been there. So there were lots of ways someone could have found out about her relationship with Lucky.

And as for Jason?

They'd been written up in the paper as well, the first time had been when he had saved her from the crypt. Then later on when the shooting on the docks happened, their names had been linked in the press again. Someone easily could have read those articles and made the leap that her and Jason were in a relationship. Hell for a night they had been in a relationship.

Shaking the thought away before it could poison her mood she tried to focus her mind back on the dilemma at hand. Jason had no role in her life, so she wasn't going to waste her time thinking about him anymore. That was the latest vow she had made to herself and it was one she was determined to keep.

"Focus," she ordered aloud and looked at the answering machine. She had been able to rationalize how the caller could have known about Jason and Lucky. He also may have seen her yesterday, and that would explain how he knew the color of sweater she was wearing. That was an unsettling thought, but it was a reasonable explanation nonetheless. But that didn't explain the comment about the red dress.

It was true that although she still wore the color of red occasionally she never wore that particularly vibrant shade of red. It was also true, she'd never worn a red dress since that night, and knew she never would. But her lack of wearing the color didn't explain how the caller had known about it. She didn't wear a lot of yellow either, but he hadn't picked that color to mention.

Again she was struck by the words he had chosen to say, _not a word_. He hadn't said don't tell anyone about my call, he had said not a word to anyone. But again his words may only have been a coincidence.

"It had to be a coincidence," she whispered shakily. A coincidence and an imagined hesitation that had to explain things. Tom Baker was in jail. So there was no way that he called her 38 times.

"He is jail." She tried to sound firm but there was a definite wobble to her voice. She had to know for sure if Baker was still in jail or not. Swallowing hard she made up her mind. There was only one person she knew of who could give her the answers that she needed.

Tucking the pill bottle in her purse she picked up the scattered bandaging supplies and snagged her coat. The sight of a chair tucked under the handle of her big silver door, looked a little ridiculous, but it had made her feel better at the time.

Opening the door and going down the hall to use the bathroom to shower, had been one of the hardest things she'd had to do. She had been tempted to hide behind her new silver door all day, but in the end she had been determined to move on with her life. Moving on with her life was her new motto, and once she handled the unsettling calls, that would be exactly what she would do.

****

~PCPD~

"Thank you for seeing me Lieutenant. I know how busy you are."

"I always have time for you Elizabeth." Lieutenant Marcus Taggert gave her a genuine smile and pointed to the chair next to his desk. "Have a seat."

"Actually," Elizabeth hesitated and looked around the loud and bustling squad room.

"Would you rather speak in private?" He had caught her hesitation and knew the probable reason for it.

"If it's not to much trouble," she nodded and followed Taggert into the interrogation room. Crossing the threshold she was struck with the memory of the last time she had been in the room. Moving automatically she took the same chair she'd sat in the day she'd finally reported the rape. Taggert sat across from her, where Detective Garcia had sat that day. The only people missing were Dara Jensen and Lucky.

"Are you okay?" Taggert asked in concern when he noticed how she was cradling her arm. "Are you hurt is that why you're here?"

"I got burned and a few cuts yesterday when a coffeepot broke," she explained quickly. "And no, my arm is not why I'm here."

"I hope not I can't do much with coffeepots," he tried a joke to put her at ease and wasn't surprised when it bombed.

"I wanted to ask you," she hesitated, not sure how much she wanted Taggert to know. "I have a question about Tom Baker."

Smile gone Taggert shifted into cop. "What about him?"

"I know he was sentenced to 5 to 7 years, but what does that mean exactly?"

"You want to know if he is still in jail?" He asked softly.

Keeping her focus on her hands she nodded. "If it's not too much work for you, do you think you can find out for me?"

"He's still in jail," Taggert replied instantly.

Confused her head shot up. "How do you know that? You didn't even check."

"I don't have too," he saw her confusion and explained. "Elizabeth I took a special interest in Tom Baker, because of what he did to you. Also because of the charges we were never allowed to bring against him."

"Charges you couldn't bring because I was stupid and destroyed all the possible evidence against him, not to mention not reporting it for months," she finished sourly. She still got angry with herself when she thought about her actions. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it.

"Don't think that," he ordered sharply. "You did what was right for you to do. Every step you took, you took when you were ready. A lot of women never make it through the door, a lot of women can't even say the word rape. I can't even imagine the kind of strength it took for you to not only report what happened to you, but overcome it as well. You were brave back then and you're brave now, so don't try to beat yourself up."

"Thanks," his words were unexpected and took her by surprise, yet made her feel a little better.

"Baker's first parole hearing comes up in 8 months," Taggert's voice turned brisk again. "I have the date circled on my calendar, so does Detective Garcia and ADA Jensen. We all plan on testifying at the hearing and arguing against his release. I was also going to talk to Emily Quartermaine about testifying. Since she was the legal victim she has the right to speak. Lucky, Nikolas, you, because you were, held at gunpoint by him, can also speak about the impact his actions had on your lives. If you choose too that is.

Elizabeth was already nodding.

"Because Baker wasn't convicted for raping you and was never even charged with the crime you won't be allowed to bring up what happened in the hearing," he informed her as gently as he could.

"I probably shouldn't testify then. I wouldn't want to blow it like I did at the trial," she sighed bitterly. The memory of her outburst in court that had almost caused a mistrial still bothered her. A part of her knew that her outburst was the reason Dara had pushed for a plea on the charges in order to get Baker convicted of anything at all.

"It's up to you, no one has to testify," Taggert reminded her.

Elizabeth nodded knowing she'd have to really think about if she wanted to be in the same room with Tom Baker at all. "What if he gets paroled?"

Sighing Taggert didn't even try to sugarcoat the news. "Because he was convicted of extortion and a few other misdemeanors, the victim, in this case Emily Quartermaine, isn't due any early notification of his release. In fact no one has to be notified before Baker is released."

"You mean he could just walk into Kelly's one day and ask for coffee?" Elizabeth shuddered in horror.

"I told you I took a special interest in this case. When or if Baker is ever paroled I will know about it in advance, and I will make sure that you know about it too." He kept the fact that he also planned to pay Baker a visit and explain to him that Port Charles wouldn't be the safest place to return too, to himself.

"Thanks, I'd really like to know in order to prepare myself." Her mind was racing. If Baker was still in prison there was no way that he could have made the phone calls, unless… "Does he have access to the internet or phones while he's in jail?"

Curiosity had Taggert narrowing his eyes in study. "The prisoners have phone privileges. There are also some computers with internet access in the prison library, both are supposed to be monitored at all times." He bit back his familiar diatribe on the rent-a-cops that doubled as prison guards. In his opinion they were barely a step above bounty hunters.

Baker could have been the one that had called her then. The man's voice had been muffled slightly so she hadn't recognized it as his, but that didn't mean it wasn't him. But if Baker was in prison how did he know what she was wearing yesterday?

"Elizabeth has Tom Baker contacted you?" Taggert wanted to know.

Biting her lip she averted her eyes, moment of truth time. She could mention the calls, but how would she explain that Baker had to have seen her yesterday if he was the caller? "I…"

"Lieutenant," an officer opened the door. "You wanted to know when Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan arrived, well they just walked in with their new mouthpiece."

Taggert shifted immediately and peered through the slats of the blinds out into the squad room. He hadn't met the new attorney yet. He could only hope that he wasn't as good as Alexis.

Hearing Jason's name made Elizabeth withdraw. There was no way she was going to confide in Taggert, not now, not when she knew Jason was in the other room. Taking a deep breath she tried to prepare herself for seeing him, and was grateful for the warning the officer had given her. "It's okay to leave Lieutenant, you answered my questions," she said softly.

Blinking Taggert focused on her again. "Yeah but you didn't answer mine."

~*~*~*~*~

Sonny's placid expression shifted when he felt Jason go rigid next to him. Curiosity had him shifting his attention to the interrogation room. Squinting he recognized Taggert, it took him another second to identify the person Taggert was talking too as Elizabeth. For the first time in weeks he allowed himself to think about his old friend. "What's she doing here?"

"How would I know?" Jason barked shortly.

Hearing the coldness in Jason's voice and unsure at the cause Sonny shifted his attention on his friend. "What do you mean by that?"

Weary Jason didn't even bother to shake his head. "She hasn't wanted to talk to me since she found out you were alive, and I was lying to her."

"Yeah but that business," Sonny reminded him.

"Is Carly talking to you today?" Jason asked bluntly.

Uncomfortable Sonny shook his head.

"Why not?" Jason pressed.

"You know why, because she's mad I didn't tell her about Brenda," Sonny replied.

"She's mad because you trusted her enough to keep her in the loop about faking your death, but not about your ex-girlfriend's return from the dead," he corrected Sonny.

"What does Carly and Brenda have to do with Elizabeth?" Sonny demanded.

"All you ever do is lie to the women in your life, and they get mad at you for it. Well when I lie to the woman in my life, she gets mad at me too," Jason shot back.

Sonny was stung by the unaccustomed sarcasm coming from Jason. For the first time in weeks he wondered what was going on in his friend's life.

~*~*~*~

"Thanks again," Elizabeth kept her profile to Jason and spoke to the Lieutenant quietly.

"No problem. If you ever do hear from Baker, I want you to tell me right away." Taggert said.

"Thanks." Knowing she couldn't stall any longer she turned around. Her eyes met Jason's immediately and it took a lot for her to wrench them away, but she did, and it was only a pity that they fell on the man next to him. Seeing Sonny's welcoming smile made her temper start to burn. Moving quickly she headed for the gate.

"Elizabeth, it's good to see you," Sonny called out with a smile.

"What's the matter Sonny hell didn't want you?" She shot back and never breaking stride she was through the gate and out of the squad room.

Taggert let out a long whistle. "Something good did come out of your miraculous return from the dead Corinthos. Elizabeth finally knows what a cheap, lying thug you are," he turned his grin on Jason who was still staring after Elizabeth. "Since she never even looked at you, I'd say she finally wised up about you as well."

Ignoring Taggert's jibe and Sonny's growing anger Jason focused instead on trying to figure out what Elizabeth was doing at the police station in the first place.

****

~Kelly's~

"Goodnight," Elizabeth called into the kitchen before heading for her coat. The distraction of her busy shift at work had been just what she needed after her visit to the police station. They had been just busy enough that she hadn't had time to think about what she had learned. She also didn't have time to think about Jason.

Huffing out a breath she reached for her coat. She really had to do better at keeping her promises. Checking her watch she hoped it was time for another pain pill, but of course it wasn't. The food intake had helped her function with the drugs, but she still had gotten a little loopy. She didn't know what it meant that her tip's had increased to almost double the loopier she had gotten. Either that meant she was normally a grumpy waitress, or she was really entertaining.

Her shift was over, and it was getting dark, yet she had no real desire to return to her empty studio. Instead of putting on her coat she kept it in her hands and took a seat at one of the tables by the window. She had to figure out what was going on with the calls. She hated to think she was being stalked, Courtney was the one who was being stalked. She was the one who had been followed home, and had phone calls, while she had only had a few phone calls.

But still she couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling that something bad was coming, nor could she shake the memories of the rape. Don had walked up behind her earlier in the evening, and she hadn't heard his approach, so when he touched her arm she had screamed and thrown the plate she had been holding in her hands. She had also jumped every time the phone rang, that wasn't a good sign. This was behavior she'd had for weeks after she was first raped, she didn't want to slide back into it again.

The only way to get past this was to figure out what was going on. The calls had left her with the impression that he knew what had happened to her. Sure the caller may have been making things up about her being with him, but she was still struck by the mention of the red dress. Christ she needed someone to talk this out with. Lucky had been the person she'd relied upon back then. But Lucky wasn't an option. Not only was he not in town, he was in Switzerland seeing Laura, they weren't exactly on speaking terms.

So whom did that leave?

Jason. 

"No," she shook her head. She was not going to let a few calls spook her into letting Jason back in her life. Besides he had enough going on, with Sonny, Carly, and now Courtney. Who was to say he would even care what was going on with her?

__

You know he cares. Don't try to say he doesn't.

She hated when her inner voice was right. Ignoring it, she was still determined not to tell Jason. It hurt to be around him at the moment, and as much as she may try to deny it, if he knew she was spooked, he would be around her a lot. That was just how he was. If someone was in trouble, SuperJase would come flying to their rescue. The most recent case in point was Courtney.

"Jason's out," she vowed, even as her heart twinged in regret.

So who else?

Emily and her were speaking but that was about it. She had finally told her about her one night mistake with Zander, and although Emily hadn't gotten angry with her, she could still hear the hurt. The few conversations they'd had since then had been stilted, nether one knowing what to say to the other. So scratch Emily.

Nikolas? Her heart gave another twinge when she thought of her former friend, and her eye was drawn to the man in question that was sitting at a table working on his laptop. He wasn't supposed to lie to her. There were two people in this world she'd thought would never lie to her, and both of them had this year. What was surprising was the identity of one of the two.

Jason was one of the two, of course that was obvious. But the other one had surprised her. Nikolas was someone she thought wouldn't lie to her. She almost expected Lucky's lies, and that had been a strange pill to swallow, but Nikolas' lies had taken her totally by surprise. After everything they had went through together, the schemes, the work, even their own lies, she thought they'd always be on the same side.

But apparently Nikolas didn't feel the same. First he had kept it a secret that Lucky planned on marrying her only out of pity, and didn't love her anymore. Then he had played with her head about the accident. She could almost understand why he'd kept silent about Lucky. But she didn't think she'd ever understand why he had chosen to lie to her about the accident.

If he didn't know, at that point, that she would have been on his side no matter what, she supposed she shouldn't mourn the loss of her friend, but she still did. It wasn't that he had chosen Gia over their friendship, again she could understand why he had done that. But he had seen how desperate she had been to remember. He had been a witness to her frustration, and when she had begun to question he had played on her doubts, confusing her even more, and that was something she would never be able to understand.

Nikolas and Jason were two people who were never supposed to lie to her, and both of them had in the span of just a few short months. That made them both out of her life, and not an option in confiding her fears too. But unfortunately that also meant she had no one else to talk too.

"I really need more friends," she grumbled. The beep of Nikolas' computer caught her attention and an idea came to her. The distant memory of the research Lucky used to do on the computer, and the research and information he had uncovered about Tom Baker came back to her. Maybe Baker had a relative that he had told what he had done to her. Her stomach revolted at the thought, but in a sick way it struck her as something Baker would do. He had been gloating that day in his studio. Like he was proud of what he had done, it had been the same when she'd confronted him at the police station. He had been bragging.

Reaching for the water on the table, Elizabeth absently popped a pain pill in her mouth. If he had told someone they could be keeping him informed about her, so he could play his sick games with her head. The thought of why he was choosing to do this after all this time, crossed her mind, but it was easily dismissed, in the face of a legitimate answer to her problem.

She needed to get to a computer and do some research on Tom Baker. She looked out the window again, and by now the dark night greeted her. The public library was closed. And the library at the University was two bus rides away, not counting a changeover in a very bad neighborhood. The last thing she felt like doing was being on a bus, alone, at night for hours.

"I need a car," the complaint was a familiar one, so was the whine in her voice.

Nikolas' computer beeped again, and she looked over at it thoughtfully. She was sure he'd let her use it if she asked. He had made no secret of the fact that he would do anything to make things up to her for what had happened. He seemed more contrite and genuine, then Lucky did, and Lucky had slept with her sister.

She didn't want to forgive Nikolas, but at the same time she missed her friend. They had been through so much together that it seemed odd for her and him to be sitting in the same restaurant but at different tables, never having said a word to each other. Asking to borrow his computer didn't mean she was going to forgive him. After all she had let Jason take her to the hospital yesterday and that didn't mean she had forgiven him.

"You're not going to think about Jason again." She reminded herself sharply.

"What?"

Groaning Elizabeth closed her eyes. 

"Are you in pain?" Jason took the seat across from her and reached for the pill bottle on the table.

"I'm fine," she snatched the pill bottle out of his hand. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to check on you. I was worried about your arm, but you left the police station before I could talk to you," Jason explained.

She could see the curiosity in his eyes and took perverse pleasure in seeing it. For once he was the one that wanted to know what was going on. How sweet it was for the shoe to be on the other foot for a change. She knew exactly how to play this game she kept quiet. 

Jason waited for a response but Elizabeth seemed to be ignoring him. Her focus was on the pill bottle. Finally he knew he'd have to press. "Did something happen?"

"When?"

"When you were at the police station," Jason kept his tone even.

"It was just business," she threw him a cold look and saw the way his eyes closed in pain, and immediately felt guilty. "I don't want to be like this with you."

"I know you're mad and hurt," he offered cautiously.

"I am, but I don't want to lash out at you. I've known you for more than three years, and this is the first time I can honestly say I don't like you very much," he flinched and she gestured at him. "You see I just hurt you and I didn't want to do that."

"What do you want?" Jason asked. "Do you want us to be friends?"

"I don't know, all I know is you were the one person in my life who wasn't supposed to lie to me. I know it was business, you didn't have a choice, it wasn't your secret to tell, lives were depending on you," she listed his reasons and dismissed them with a shake of her head. "That still doesn't change the fact that all you had to do was say to me that something was going down, that you couldn't tell me about, and you would when you could. That's all Jason, and frankly I don't think that was too much to ask for," she sighed bitterly. "But you didn't do that. You knew I was half out of my mind with worry about you, with fear and you let me swing."

Pinching his nose in frustration over the truth of her quiet accusations he finally looked at her. "Where does that leave us?"

"I don't know. I just know that right now I'm hurt and angry, and sooner or later you are going to say something and I'm going to jump all over you, and then I'm going to feel guilty, and I'm too tired to do that with you." She could feel the tears sting that back of her eyes and looked away until she could blink them back. 

"I wish I could have handled things differently," he told her honestly.

"Me too, you don't know how much I need you right now," she whispered. 

"I won't lie to you again," Jason offered softly but meant every word. "There may be things I can't tell you, but I won't lie to you, either by my words or my actions."

"You heard that," she realized.

"Yeah. Do you really think I don't care about you?" He pressed.

"Sometimes yes," she admitted honestly. "You tell me that I should know what I mean to you, but guess what I'm not a mind reader. And since you won't tell me all I can go on is your actions, and let me tell you your actions stink."

Jason blinked at her bluntness, his focus dropping to the pill bottle again.

"The day after you admitted you wanted to try things with me, you disappeared. What the hell am I supposed to think that means?" Elizabeth demanded. "I know that's when the big con with Sonny started, but all I saw was you doing everything in your power to avoid me. You were with Carly, hell even Courtney, but the only time you had for me was when I went someplace I wasn't supposed too."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"The night at the docks, after Sonny's funeral, you had to talk to me then, because I was out alone, and we all know when you decide to protect someone you will do whatever it takes to get the job done," she grumbled and hummed the Mighty Mouse theme song under her breath.

"I didn't want to lie to you." 

"Why not everyone else does, just ask Nikolas," she called out loudly and waved cheekily at him when Nikolas turned to look.

"How many pills have you had?" Jason reached for the bottle.

"Not nearly enough," she admitted with a sigh and put the bottle in her purse.

"Elizabeth."

"Jason if you ever want to be my friend again, you'll leave me alone. I need to figure some things out, and I can't do that with you here. With you here all I feel is pain, and I don't like pain, so I'll lash out," her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

He was rapidly discovering how words could hurt someone, because her words were causing him pain as well. "You shouldn't walk home alone."

"Here he comes to save the day," she sang off tune.

"What?"

"I won't be alone I have to speak to Nikolas, he'll make sure I get home," she determined.

Jason hesitated but anything he might have said to change her mind vanished when a cheery voice called out from behind him.

"Jason I'm ready to go. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but I had a lot of dishes tonight," Courtney called out, moving closer her focus was on her coat. "I really appreciate you walking me home again."

Sighing Elizabeth sat back and began humming again.

Jason could feel the ice coming off of Elizabeth in waves and knew he had just managed to make things worse.

Courtney stumbled to a stop and had the same realization. "You know what I'm just going to take a cab. You should stay with Elizabeth, or better yet walk her home. You're about due another pain pill and I remember how crazy they make you."

"Oh no," Elizabeth got to her feet and sucking in a breath she managed to stop the world from spinning. "I wouldn't dream of depriving you from your bodyguard. Doing whatever Sonny wants is what Jason lives for, so you better let him walk you home. We wouldn't want to get him in trouble with his master."

It was hard to tell which blonde was more surprised, but Elizabeth took their expressions as a good thing and moved past them to Nikolas' table before either one could find their voice to speak.

"I need to talk to you," she announced to a surprised Nikolas.

"Okay," Nikolas' reply was cautious.

~*~*~*~

Jason sigh was long, his expression tired when he got up from his chair. "We better go."

"That's it?" Courtney asked. "She says something like that to you and you want to go? She's hurting, you're hurting you need to talk to each other."

"You need to drop it," he shot back and opened the door.

Rolling her eyes at his stupidity Courtney exited the diner.

~*~*~*~

Though she tried not to notice Elizabeth couldn't help but be aware of every move Jason made.

Hearing her sigh, Nikolas knew Jason had left. "Do you still want to talk to me or did you just say that so you could get rid of Jason?"

Elizabeth forced her attention back on her former friend. "I wanted to know if I could borrow your computer."

Nikolas knew how much that question had cost her so he simply saved his file, closed it and powered down. "I can get it from you tomorrow if that gives you enough time."

"It does," she took the computer from him and got to her feet. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he replied honestly. The request to walk her home, was on the tip of his tongue, but he knew she would refuse.

Nodding Elizabeth headed for the door.

****

~Docks~

"Hey Zander, man, I thought that was you."

Zander jolted in surprise when someone clapped him hard on the back. Turning around he groaned in unwelcome recognition. "What do you want Paulie?"

"Now is that any way to talk to a friend?" A strung out Paulie wanted to know. "Look your not still sore because I stiffed you on those last few hits of X are you?"

"No Paulie I'm not mad," Zander turned and tried to walk away.

"Hey wait," Paulie latched onto his arm. "I really need some juice man, and this time I got money," his shaking hand reached for his jeans.

"Don't," Zander snapped. "I don't sell anymore."

"Come on, the Z man not selling?" Paulie laughed and his eye began to twitch. "I told you I have money."

"Paulie you want to kill yourself find someone else to sell you the poison. I don't do this anymore." Jerking his arm free Zander stalked off.

"Zander," Paulie yelled. "You can't quit, you can never quit, you're one of us," the yell turned into a whine. "Please man just a little hit."

****

~Kelly's~

"Hey Zander," Elizabeth called out.

Coming to a halt his bad mood began to lift as he turned around and spied his only friend. "Hi Elizabeth. How are you doing? Courtney told me you hurt yourself yesterday."

"Yeah I got clumsy," she explained, setting the laptop and purse on the table she worked the sleeve up her arm to show off her bandage.

"If the bandage is that size I don't want to see what the wound looks like," Zander shuddered theatrically.

"Oh come on you've had worse. You've been shot before remember," Elizabeth teased. "I doubt this is worse than that."

"I kn… I wouldn't know," Zander caught himself and lied.

Turning away Elizabeth bowed her head and her hands came to rest on the laptop. "Is the sign still there?"

"What sign?" Zander asked in confusion.

"The sign that says lie to me, I'm too stupid to deserve the truth," she whirled around her face white, except for the angry slash of red on her cheeks.

"You know," he whispered.

"Yeah I know," she shook her head. "The only thing is you weren't the one to tell me, you're just another person who lied to me."

"Let me explain," he begged.

"Save it, nothing you can say is worth hearing," she reached for the laptop.

"How did you find out?" Zander wanted to know. "I was going to tell you I was, I just wanted some more time, Damn'it he told me he wouldn't tell you."

Elizabeth's movements froze. "Who wouldn't tell me?"

Hearing the ice in her voice he realized he'd went to far. "Nobody."

"Who?" She demanded. "Don't lie to me again."

"Jason," he admitted reluctantly. "He knows I have my memory back."

Elizabeth stepped back like she had been struck.

"He wanted me to tell you, he told me I should tell you." Zander went on desperately. Unsure of why he was trying to defend Jason, he still felt compelled to do it.

"But when you asked he kept quiet right?" She asked bitterly.

"What's going on?"

Zander groaned, Jason had the worst timing in the world. He shook his head at the other man but Elizabeth had already turned on him.

"Don't worry Zander, Jason kept your secret, he's real good at keeping secrets, and lying to everyone, but most especially lying to me. I heard you on the docks with your friend Paulie, and I came here and gave you the opportunity to tell me the truth, but you lied," she grinned. "Big surprise there everyone lies to me." 

The door opened behind Zander and Nikolas walked out. 

"See here's someone else who lies to me. God if I were to have a party of the liars in my life I'd have to invite the whole damn town."

"Elizabeth," Jason reached out for her, and she swatted at his hand.

"Don't. I'm an expert by now, you didn't tell me because it wasn't your secret to tell. God forbid you actually tell me something so I don't make an ass out of myself," she snapped coldly. "Keep me in the dark, keep me looking ridiculous, what does it matter to you? It's never your secret to tell."

"Elizabeth why don't you let me drive you home?" Nikolas asked when he saw how upset she was getting.

"Drive?" She let out a high-pitched laugh. "Isn't that what led to your lies, a drive home? We were in everything together until that night Nikolas, until you decided to lie to me just like everyone else."

"And you," her angry eyes found Zander. "I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am. I had no reason to expect more from you and yet I did. I'm fed up with being lied too, I'm fed up with being protected, and I'm fed up with being treated like my feelings don't matter. I don't want any of you in my life anymore. As far as I'm concerned none of you exist."

"You don't mean that," Jason caught her arm before she could storm off and immediately let go when she hissed in pain. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry is just a four letter word Jason, and I don't want hear it anymore, especially when nothing ever changes," she met his eyes coldly. "So much for you not lying to me anymore, that lasted what? An hour?"

"Please let me…"

"Explain? You don't do that remember?" She jeered. Picking up the laptop she shoved it in Nikolas' gut. "Thanks I don't need your help anymore, the cost is too high." Pivoting she faced Zander. "I hope you meant what you told Paulie, but whether you did or didn't stay the hell away from me," she whirled on Jason. "And that goes double for you."

With those final words and her head held high Elizabeth took off for home.

Feeling his heart break Jason could only watch her go.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Zander asked.

"Shut up," Jason ordered.

"No. Jesus man you're the one she wants to talk too, so get off your ass and move," Zander went on.

"You heard her she doesn't want to see me," Jason reminded him bitterly.

Nikolas laughed. "You know for the first time I think Taggert may be right about you. You are a brain-damaged thug who doesn't have a clue about Elizabeth."

****

~Studio~

Elizabeth was still in high temper when she reached her building and she took the steps two at a time. It wasn't until she reached the second floor landing and something crunched under her boot that she realized something unsettling. Pausing, she looked up at the next flight of stairs that led to her floor. The light that normally lit the stairs was gone. Glancing down she shifted her feet and saw the shards of broken light bulbs underneath them.

Anger disappeared in a heartbeat and fear moved through her. She listened hard for any sound coming from the floor above but all she heard was her own labored breathing. For the first time since she'd seen Zander on the docks, thoughts of the phone calls she had received came back to her.

Turning slowly she began to head back down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as she could be. She made it two steps before stopping. She didn't have anyplace to go. Sarah was still at her Gram's house, she'd just thrown Nikolas out of her life, besides Gia was at Wyndamere, all the Spencer's were gone. Which was a pity because she knew Luke would have helped her no matter what. And after what she had just screamed at Jason, there was no way she could go to him. She had a thought about going to Bobbie's but remembered that she was working the graveyard shift at the hospital. That left her with no one. 

Bending down Elizabeth picked up a jagged piece of glass, pulling her sleeve down, she wrapped it around her hand, then gripped the glass tighter, before turning around. She took a step, and tried to avoid the broken glass on the stairs. She gripped the keys tightly in her left hand, and held the glass in her right hand, even injured it was her stronger arm.

Moving cautiously she hugged the wall and worked her way up the stairs. Pausing every few feet she listened for the sounds of anyone else in the building but it was as quiet as a tomb. She closed her eyes briefly at that analogy, before moving on again. She paused at the top of the stairs to let her eyes get used to the dimness. Shadows filled the hall yet none of them looked like moving shadows.

Slowly she took a step away from the stairs. She tried to look in every direction at once but it was impossible. Her breathing began to pick up again, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth when she bit down hard on her lip. Grimacing she released her lip and kept moving. She paused next to the corner for a long minute trying to prepare herself as well as listening. 

There was nothing wrong with running, she determined. Turning the corner she paused long enough to scan the dark hallway before taking off for the silver door that was partway down the hall. The shiny door stood out in the dim light and it called to her like a beacon. She fumbled with the lock and the keys fell to the floor with a clatter. Cursing under her breath she picked them up and tried again.

Finally she managed to get the key in the lock, twisting it she shoved the door open, yanked her key out, and slammed it shut as quickly as she could. Turning, her hands shook as she reached up and slid the extra locks Jason had installed on her door in place. Bowing her head she rested it on the cool surface of the door and tried to even her breathing.

Her heart was beating so hard it was a wonder it was still in her chest. The fear had cleared her mind, she was feeling no aftereffects of the drug. Sighing Elizabeth turned around and reached out for the light switch.

Flicking it on she closed her eyes at the unaccustomed brightness, waiting a minute she finally opened her eyes a crack. The keys fell from her suddenly limp hand and clattered on the floor. Her other hand found her mouth as her breathing picked up again. "Oh my god no," she stuttered. 

More afraid than she had been in years Elizabeth turned around and desperately began to unlock the door. A keening sound reached her ears and she was dismayed to realize it was coming from her. "Please," she begged the door and at last the lock finally gave. 

Yanking the door open and looking over her shoulder with every step she took, she ran from her home in terror. The scream she had been holding off finally escaped when she collided hard with someone and arms reached around her waist holding her in place against a hard masculine body.


	3. Bittersweet memories

Want more? Please let me know.

****

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Quagmire

Part 3

****

~Port Charles Hotel~

The knock on her door came almost an hour later than Elizabeth thought it would and she was grateful for the reprieve. She had needed the extra time to prepare herself for the inquisition she knew was to come. The night had been very long and restless, she'd spent most of it just tossing and turning in the big, soft bed, tensing at every unfamiliar noise she heard. Unfortunately since she'd never stayed in the hotel before all she heard was unfamiliar noises. She had come close to taking an additional pain pill, knowing that drugs on her empty stomach would knock her out.

In the end she had decided not too. She didn't want to use the pills as a crutch to help her escape from her problems. She still had a few memories of her Grandfather on her mother's side and his reliance on the nightly Bourbon intake. To this day the smell of Bourbon took her back to the forced family dinners with the angry and bitter man. Dinner's in which her every flaw, everyone's ever flaw, was held up and ridiculed. On one hand those dinners were the only time she'd ever heard her perfect siblings criticized, but, on the other hand, he had been a very cruel man. The old man had finally died when she was 12, and as far as she could tell no one had ever shed a tear for him. She had a vivid memory of walking into the kitchen after the funeral and finding her mother laughing and asking _'How do you like that daddy?'_ with every bottle of Bourbon she'd poured out down the sink.

Another reason she'd decided not to take the pill was because it would more than likely had made her not only loopy but put her to sleep. The last thing she'd wanted to do was sleep, not when every time she closed her eyes she saw her studio the way it had been last night. Even now, miles away from it, with the morning sunlight streaming into her room, making everything cheerful, she shuddered at the memory. The knock came again, this time louder and longer than before. It was only a knock on the door but she knew the impatience and concern of the man who was knocking was growing.

Moving for the door she checked the Judas hole to confirm his identity before unlocking the door and opening it slowly. "Hi."

"Good morning," he hesitated. "May I come in?"

"Of course after all you're paying for the room," she reminded him and stepped back.

Biting back a sigh Nikolas Cassadine moved past her and inside the room. "Did you get any sleep?"

Elizabeth could feel his eyes on her and knew he was sharp enough to spot the truth, so she didn't bother to lie. "Some. I ordered breakfast," she changed the subject and moved to the small table that room service had set up. "I got enough for two, so I hope you're hungry. I hope you don't mind. Don't worry I didn't order the most expensive thing."

"I don't care about the money Elizabeth," he informed her while taking his seat. He had to admit the food did smell good. He had been too worried about her to eat any of the food Mrs. Landsbury had prepared for him. The older woman had not been pleased by that, but he had escaped her lecture by leaving when she'd went into the kitchen for more coffee.

Lifting one of the lids that covered a plate he wasn't surprised to see one of his favorite meals on the plate. How many times had she served him breakfast over the years? Too many for him to count, and all of them with the exception of the last few months, had been served along with conversation. He never knew how much he'd taken their morning conversations for granted until they suddenly stopped.

"I didn't poison the food Nikolas. It's safe to eat, I haven't seen Helena in months I promise," the joke was out before she could stop it and she couldn't help but freeze.

As grateful as he was that her guard had dropped long enough for her to tease him, he was dismayed to see it go back up the instant she realized what she had said. His burgeoning appetite began to vanish. 

"About what happened last night…"

"I wanted to thank you for letting me use your computer," she cut him off. "I really needed to get some research done so thanks."

Putting the lid back on his plate Nikolas looked over at her. "It won't work Elizabeth."

"What won't work?" She asked guilelessly.

"You're already mad at me so I'm going to press you for details no matter what you say or do," he informed her seriously. "Since you already kicked me out of your life I don't have anything to lose."

Avoiding his gaze she took a bite of her bacon and shrugged. "I obviously didn't mean it or we wouldn't be eating breakfast together now would we?"

"Last night when I found you, you were almost hysterical, you were shaking in fear, and you didn't even know who I was at first," he reminded her. "Once you recognized me you pulled on my arm and begged me to take you away. You didn't want to go back to your studio and get your purse, or any clothes, or even your keys, you just wanted me to take you away."

Appetite gone Elizabeth put the bacon back on the plate and reached for her juice.

"What happened last night?"

"Someone broke in my studio," she admitted quietly.

Concerned he covered her hand with his. "Was he still there?"

"No, I don't think so," she pulled her hand away and sat back in her chair. "It scared me, and I didn't handle it very well."

"I knew I should have called the police last night," Nikolas murmured.

"Nothing was taken," keeping her eyes averted she spoke up, instead things had been left for her. "There was no point in calling the police."

"This was more than just a break-in wasn't it?" Nikolas asked, his suspicions were confirmed when Elizabeth got to her feet and moved away from the table. "What's going on?"

"I don't know for sure," she admitted honestly. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Does this have something to do with Jason?"

"No," exasperated she glared at him. "Believe it or not I do have other things going on in my life."

Holding up a hand to ward off her attack he got to his feet. "I was just asking. So what does this have to do with?"

Ignoring the question Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed and picked up her bandaging supplies. She knew she should tell him what was going on, and yet she didn't want too. Things had changed between them and she didn't know if they could change back.

"I really messed things up didn't I?" Nikolas took a seat next to her and took the gauze from her hand. "Can I fix it?"

"You can try," she handed him the tape.

Taking the tape Nikolas shook his head. "I wasn't talking about your arm, I want to know if I can fix the problem between us."

"I know, and I don't know if you can Nikolas. I don't feel like I know you anymore, and because of that I don't trust you."

Flinching at her words he kept his hands busy by bandaging her wound. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"I hear that far too often," she sighed and was too tired to get angry. "You weren't supposed to lie to me Nikolas, not to me. We went through hell together, with Lucky, with Helena, with dead bodies, with everything, you were my friend and suddenly that didn't seem to matter to you anymore."

"That's not true," he argued.

"It felt like it. First with my awful almost wedding, you knew Lucky didn't love me. You knew he was only marrying me because he felt obligated too, and you never told me," bitterness spilled out in her words. "Do you have any idea how humiliated I felt? You let me walk down the aisle in front of all those people, knowing I was Lucky's pity project and you never said a word. You just stood there and let it happen."

"I tried to talk him out of it, I told him to tell you, but he wouldn't."

"And it never occurred to you to tell me did it? I heard you even got mad at Gia when she spoke up." She worked up a ghastly smile. "Now that was a humiliation, a woman who belittled me, blackmailed me, insulted me and basically disliked me on sight, was willing to tell me the truth, while someone I'd been through hell with wouldn't."

"I'm…"

"Sorry I know believe me I know, and I can almost excuse it Nikolas, Lucky's your brother, your loyalty needs to be to your family, and bottom line I wasn't family," standing she moved to the window. "I worked hard on forgiving you, then I found out about the accident and how you'd been lying to me, manipulating me, isolating me, basically fucking with me," maybe she wasn't too tired to get angry. "And again I should understand, I mean you were only protecting someone you loved, it was just my mistake for thinking you loved me too."

"I do, there was just so much going on then, one thing led to another and it snowballed," Nikolas pleaded with her to understand. "I didn't think this would happen."

"Yeah I lived."

"Don't," infuriated Nikolas stood up and was in front of her in two quick steps. "Don't ever say that, don't ever think that. I don't know what I would have done if you'd died. Yell at me for lying to you, I deserve it. Never speak to me again, and I'll handle that somehow. But don't ever think I wanted you hurt or dead."

Guilt made the tears fill her eyes and she reached out to her friend. "I'm sorry I know that, I'm just tired Nikolas." Finally allowing herself to bend she moved into his arms and sank into his hug. 

"I miss you," Nikolas whispered feeling the tears start in his own eyes.

"I know and I miss you too." For the first time in months she allowed herself to hope that maybe, one day, she would be able to get her friend back. The thought made her heart feel lighter. Sighing she stepped back and broke the embrace, one day they may get back what they'd lost, but it wasn't going to happen today. "I need to find someone who will put me first for a change, I think I deserve that. I deserve to matter to people, to have my feelings matter to them, at least I think I do."

"You do," he readily agreed. 

"For that to happen I can't keep clinging to the past and being afraid to try new things, to meet new people."

"I hope you don't give up your old friends in your pursuit of new ones," he whispered.

"I don't want too, but I don't know," she admitted honestly. "I will say I'm glad you found me last night. I didn't think I had anywhere to go."

"Elizabeth you may not want to hear this, but I need you to not only hear me but believe me. As long as I'm alive you will always have someplace to go," Nikolas promised her. Elizabeth didn't acknowledge his pledge one way or the other, but he felt better for having said it.

"I wanted to ask you another favor," stepping back Elizabeth moved to the table.

"What?"

"I need to have the locks on my door replaced and I can't afford that right now, can I borrow some money from you. You can add it to what I owe you for the hotel room," she spoke quickly before she lost her nerve.

"Of course, but are you should go back there? That building has never been overly secure, and aren't you the only live-in on your floor? Why don't you move back to Kelly's?" Nikolas asked. "I know you wanted to get away from Lucky but your studio is obviously a dangerous place to be. You shouldn't go back there."

"Are you telling me what I should do?" Elizabeth asked softly.

Nikolas saw the way her chin had jutted out and recognizing her tone of voice, he began to shake his head. He had blown that one. The one surefire way to get Elizabeth to do something was by telling her she shouldn't. "I didn't say that, I just said I was worried."

"Look if you don't want to give me the money don't," she started.

"I'll give you the money I'll even give you a ride to the studio, but I'm still going to worry."

"That's okay friends are allowed to worry," she reminded him gently.

Nikolas grinned. "Is that what I am?"

"Maybe," she shrugged.

****

~Kelly's~

"You look kind of how I feel," Courtney commented when Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen.

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that," Elizabeth responded dryly.

"I just meant you look tired," Courtney tried to backtrack.

"I am a little," she replied stiffly. She didn't want to like Courtney, and yet she had no concrete reason to not like her. It wasn't Courtney's fault that Jason had been willing to see Courtney at the same time he'd been avoiding her.

Hearing the coolness in Elizabeth's voice Courtney couldn't help but try to fix it. "I'm sorry I interrupted you and Jason last night. I told him he should have stayed with you, and once I got home I told him to go find you, did he?"

"Oh I saw him alright," Elizabeth muttered. "He probably wishes I hadn't."

"You had a fight didn't you?"

"Jason doesn't fight, he just stands there," she grumbled and scrubbed at the counter.

"Definitely a fight," Courtney murmured, "well that explains it."

Elizabeth paused mid-wipe. "Explains what?"

"Someone tried to break in my place last night. My dog woke me up at 3:00 in the morning and someone rattled my lock trying to get inside," Courtney explained. "I freaked."

"So you called Jason right?"

"No," Courtney corrected her. "I called my brother. I told him what was going on," she shook her head in disgust. "And instead of coming himself or telling me to call the police, he sent Jason. What is it with him? If I wanted to see Jason I would have called Jason, but I wanted to see my brother, I tried to reach out to him, and he didn't even care."

Elizabeth went back to her cleaning. "Did he find anything?"

"Scratches on the lock, someone had tried to pick it, so he crashed on my couch," she eyed Elizabeth warily, but told her the truth. There was no way she wanted this to come back on Jason. "Then he arranged for my locks to be changed this morning, while I called my brother and chewed him out."

"You need to work on your chewing out," Carly Corinthos snapped. "Because let me tell you, you have a lot to learn."

Rolling her eyes Elizabeth moved into the kitchen, she needed to make a phone call.

Watching Elizabeth leave Carly couldn't help but smirk. "That was a new record."

"What do you want Carly?" Courtney asked.

"Coffee and your brother's head on a platter," Carly requested.

"Coffee I can do, the head might be arranged as well," Courtney filled her cup then filled the cup of the man who was sitting beside Carly and moved out into the diner.

"A vengeful woman I have to admire that."

Carly turned to look at the man who had spoken. "Excuse me?"

"I just said that a woman in full temper is a beautiful sight," Dr. Chris Ramsey paused a beat. "Well as long as the temper is directed elsewhere it is."

Reading the signs of flirtation Carly decided to play along. "Do women get mad at you a lot?"

Chris tried to recall how many times he'd been slapped in the last month. "Never."

Laughing at his cockiness Carly sipped her coffee. "I find that hard to believe. The scrubs tell me that not only are you a doctor, you are a surgeon, that means you are an arrogant know it all and no woman like's arrogant know it alls."

"It's true I'm arrogant, but I'm also good," he grinned slyly, "and I'm unique."

"And your barking up the wrong tree," Carly informed him. "I'm married to an arrogant know it all, so you missed your chance."

"Now that's a pity I was just getting started. You see I have a story that hooks women every time," he boasted.

The teasing flirtation was the first light heartedness she'd had in weeks and Carly wasn't ready to end it yet, so she smiled at him in encouragement. "Now this I have to hear."

"Not only am I surgeon I'm a research guru, why just last year I had my brother locked in a cage."

"And that's a good thing?" 

"It was then, you see at the time my brother was a vampire, so it was much safer for everybody with him in a cage."

~*~*~*~

The first thing Elizabeth heard when she left the kitchen was Carly's laughter. Ignoring it she moved out into the diner, her eyes automatically moved to the door when it opened, and her welcoming smile froze on her face. Jason paused in the doorway for a second longer than he had too, before heading for the counter. In spite of her best intention her eyes followed his every move, so she was caught off-guard by the hand on her arm. Startled she let out a little shriek and jerked back. "Nikolas."

"Sorry," Nikolas quickly stepped back.

Embarrassed at her overreaction Elizabeth felt her face flame. "What did you need?"

"I wanted to ask you about last night."

"I already explained," she replied shortly.

"No you didn't you avoided my questions," Nikolas held up his laptop. "You want to tell me why you were researching Tom Baker?"

"How," she demanded loudly then lowered her voice. "I cleared the memory, how did you know that?"

"I know more about computers than you do, and I wanted some answers, so start talking. What's going on?" Nikolas demanded.

"Will you be quiet?" She looked past him to Jason who was only a few feet away.

"Either you tell me what's going on, or I'm going to start asking my questions real loud." For emphasis he showed her how loud he was willing to get with his final word. Any concerns he had over pressuring her for answers, vanished the instant he found out what she was researching. He wanted to know what was going on, and he would use anything he had too, to find out, including her fear of Jason hearing him. "It's up to you? Either you can talk to me, or I can talk to Jason."

"Fine," she hissed and taking his hand she dragged him to the door. "I'm taking my break Courtney," she yelled before walking out.

~*~*~*~*~

"You again," Chris said when he recognized the guy who took the seat next to Carly. "Your name wouldn't happen to be avatar would it?"

Carly stopped smiling and looked at her best friend for a minute before turning back to the very entertaining doctor. "No his name is Jason."

"He acts like someone I knew, _the avatar_," he air quoted the words. "He had a habit of showing up and punishing those people he thought hurt other people."

"Well he's not an avatar but he does hurt people, and lie to people, but that's only when my husband tells him too," Carly slapped Jason on the back as hard as she could. "So I guess you could call him an avatar, but only if Sonny is the one pulling the strings."

"Carly," Jason warned her.

"Yep he definitely sounds like the avatar," knowing when to make himself scarce Chris got up, and taking the blonde by surprise he brought her hand up to his lips in a quick kiss of farewell. "We'll have to do this again, and I can tell you about the time I dated an angel."

"That doesn't sound interesting."

"Well she was real life fallen angel who tried to kill people," Chris replied, Jason frowned in his direction so with a final grin Chris left.

"You're not allowed to be grumpy," Carly informed him. "I'm the only one allowed to be grumpy and angry."

"Aren't you always?" Jason asked.

"You know as much as I hate to say this I wish you'd make up with the muffin, because you have been worthless since she left," Carly snapped.

"You know that's the first smart thing I've ever heard you say," Courtney told Carly.

"Oh god just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse, Courtney agrees with me," shaking her head Carly stood up. "That's just to much for anybody to handle," with those words she turned and headed for the door.

****

~Docks~

"So whoever broke in your studio last night is the same person who left you those phone messages you said you got?" Nikolas asked. 

"Yeah," Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her waist and kept moving.

"Here," shrugging out of his coat he slipped it over her shoulders. "Why didn't you call the police? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I went to the police I talked to Taggert, Tom Baker is still in jail, once I heard that I tried to convince myself that it was just a bad joke," unwilling to face her studio yet Elizabeth paused at the bench and took a seat. "Then last night, the things he left me, they were definitely left by someone who knew what happened to me."

"You need to call Taggert."

"I went by the police station this morning, Taggert is up to his eyes in the Alcazar and Jacks shooting, Detective Garcia is on vacation, there was no one I wanted to talk to there." She explained. "Nikolas the only people who knew the details of my rape, are the police, Lucky, you, and Tom Baker, and one of them is playing tricks on me."

"You can't be serious," Nikolas shook his head. "Lucky woul…"

"Lucky would never what?" Elizabeth hissed. "Have pity sex with a woman he doesn't love? Plan on marrying someone he didn't love? Build a shrine to someone like an obsessed freak? Sleep with the one person I've felt inferior to my whole life? Why don't you tell me what Lucky wouldn't do," she demanded.

Nikolas learned real quickly not to try to defend his brother. "Okay I admit Lucky has been acting strange. But he wouldn't do this," he saw her frown. "He's not even in town."

"I know," she sighed, "that leaves the cops, you, and Baker."

"Do you really think I did this?" Nikolas asked.

"I wouldn't talk to you, and now look at us," she countered coldly.

"Elizabeth…"

Hearing the pain in his voice made her speak. "It would be easier for me to believe that it's Lucky, than for me to believe that it's you," she admitted finally and quickly stood up. "And I don't ever want to have to say that again, or explain it."

Nodding Nikolas got to his feet and for the first time realized how badly he had hurt her.

"I don't think Taggert or Garcia would do this," she continued on and began to move to her building. "So that leaves Tom Baker. Since he's in jail I thought maybe he might have told someone what he did, given them the details and that's who's doing this to me. So I borrowed your computer trying to find out about him."

"Do you think he'd do that?"

"You saw how he was when we confronted him, he was bragging," she shuddered and moved inside the building when Nikolas opened the door.

Nikolas was quiet as the moved up the stairs. He had to admit her assessment of Baker was right on target. He had been arrogant until the end, even in court he'd never lost his smirk, yet it still seemed incomprehensible to him that a man would brag about violating a woman the way he did. "Are you sure whoever is calling knows about the rape?"

Taking a deep breath Elizabeth hesitated in front of her door for a long minute before reaching out and opening it. "You tell me," she whispered and stepped back.

"Jesus," the word slipped out when he saw what had been done to her place.

****

~Kelly's~

"Jason I told Sonny this morning, and now I'm telling you, if I have to have a guard, I want someone else," Courtney informed her brother-in-law coldly. "You need to concentrate on Elizabeth."

"She doesn't want to talk to me."

"Bull she wants to talk to you more than anyone else," she corrected his assumption. "But as long as you don't press her she will push you away."

"Your saying she's pushing me away because I'm not fighting for her?" Jason asked trying to understand.

"Yes, she doesn't think she matters to you, and you haven't done anything to prove her wrong," she snapped, sometimes he seemed even more clueless then men normally were.

Jason was spared with coming up a reply when his cell phone rang. Pouncing on it like it was a lifesaver he pulled it out of his pocket. "Morgan," he paused to listen and a frown drifted over his features as he did.

"Is something wrong?" Courtney asked when he hung up.

"I need to go," he got quickly to his feet. "If I'm not back by the time you're off, take a cab, and call Sonny to have a guard meet you at the apartment. Do not go inside without a guard."

"Jason," she tried to argue but he was already gone.

****

~Studio~

Elizabeth opened her door the same time Jason raised his hand to knock, and startled she jumped back. "J-jason."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," he waited for her to move but she stayed in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"No," she cried loudly and Jason blinked in surprise. Turning she picked up one of the two trash bags next to her door and shoved it in his hands before picking up the other one. "I was just taking out the trash," she stepped out in the hall forcing Jason to step back out of her way. Pulling the door tightly closed behind her she made sure it locked before moving for the back stairs.

__

What do I have to do to make you love me,

What do I have to do to make you care,

"What did you want?" Elizabeth asked when she reached the stairs.

"I got a call today from a locksmith," he reached out and took the bag from her.

Jarred by his words she paused on the stairs for a minute before beginning to move again this time faster than before. "I heard Courtney needed new locks. It was good you were there for her, of course you always are, there for her anyway, of course she is Sonny's sister, he would expect nothing less from you." Reaching the bottom of the stairs she pushed on the door and stepped out into the alley.

__

What do I do when lightning strikes me,

And I wake to find that you're not there?

Sighing Jason moved out in the alley after her. She beat him to the dumpster and had the lid flipped up before he reached her.

"Actually he was calling about your locks, he wanted to let me know that they had y been picked by someone who definitely wasn't a professional."

Elizabeth groaned and taking one of the bags from him she hefted it into the bin.

"He also wanted me to know that he wasn't going to charge me for the change of locks. He seemed real anxious for me to know how sorry he was that someone was able to break through the locks at all."

"He has a big mouth," she grumbled and reached for the other bag. 

Jason kept hold of the bag and his free hand closed over hers holding her hand there. "What's going on Elizabeth?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she was able to lie only because she kept her focus on his chin.

__

It's sad (so sad)

It's a sad, sad situation,

And it's getting more and more absurd, 

"You're lying to me."

"Maybe," she met his eyes. "How does that make you feel?"

__

Why can't we talk it over?

Oh it seems to me,

That sorry seems to be the hardest word.

"Empty," he answered her roughly.

She wasn't supposed to meet his eyes, she wasn't supposed to care anymore, she wasn't supposed to feel like she was drowning in those soft blue pain filled eyes of his, yet she did. 

His hand left the bag and reached up to caress her cheek. "Let me in."

__

What have I got to do to make you love me,

What have I got to do to be heard,

What have I got to do when lightning strikes me,

"You were in Jason," she whispered. "You were in so deep I didn't know where you ended and I began, so when you left, it nearly killed me."

__

What have I got to do?

What have I got to do?

When sorry seems to be the hardest word?

"I'm so…" she brought her hand to his lips to stop the useless words, and she felt him press a kiss against her fingers. Compelled she ran a finger over those firm, but oh so soft lips of his. 

Jason shifted his hold until he drew her closer, she let her head fall back and her eyes searched his. Lowering his head he brought his lips to hers, in a sweet caress and when she didn't pull back he tried to increase the pressure until she lowered her head, breaking the kiss almost before it started.

__

It's sad (so sad)

It's a sad, sad situation,

And it's getting more and more absurd, 

"I once told you that the only time I didn't hurt was when I was with you," she whispered as the tears began to slip from her eyes.

"I remember."

"That's still true," she admitted and swallowed a sob. "But the thing is, the time I hurt the most is also when I'm with you."

__

What have I got to do?

What have I got to do?

When sorry seems to be the hardest word?

"Until that changes I can't talk to you." Pulling out of his hold she walked around him and headed for the door. She had almost reached it when the tears began to fall in earnest.

Frustrated and angry Jason picked up the trash bag and hurled it inside the bin before giving into temptation and punching the dented side. He had pushed her too hard and now he was even farther away than he had been before. Cursing under his breath he reached for the lid of the bin to close it when the interior caught his eye.

Puzzled he reached inside the bin and picked up a shiny red heart that was half out of the bag that had split open when he had thrown it. Jason stared at the heart then looked back at that bag, he pulled at the side of the bag and was surprised when heart after heart fell out of the bag, along with streamers, and a sign that said Happy Valentines Day. It looked like decorations for some Valentine's party, the only question was why did Elizabeth have them in her trash when it was only October?

****

~Kelly's~

"Are you sure you don't mind closing?" Bobbie asked for the third time. "I know you're working a split shift today, so you have to be tired."

"Go," Elizabeth shooed her boss towards the door. "Enjoy your date, I'll be fine, I've closed before."

"I know," Bobbie pulled on her coat. "Thanks Elizabeth."

"No problem," the smile stayed on her face until the redhead disappeared out the door. Moving quickly she practically ran to the back door and double-checked that it was locked then she hurried back into the diner. She could do this. She had closed by herself more times than she could remember. This would be just another night.

"Jesus," she screamed when the phone beside her began to ring.

Admonishing herself with a shake of the head she reached out for the phone. "Kelly's."

__

"Elizabeth? It's me Nikolas."

"Hi," she smiled in relief. "What's going on?"

__

"I wanted to tell you what I found out. Both about Lucky and about Tom Baker. I was hoping to get there and tell you in person, but with the storm there's a small craft warning on the lake and I can't leave the island."

"That's okay," she leaned against the counter and tried to ignore the sounds of the growing storm. "What did you find out?"

__

"Its official Lucky is still in Switzerland, I tracked him down at the clinic about twenty minutes ago."

She hadn't really believed that it was Lucky doing this to her, but she couldn't help but sigh in relief at the words. "I know that must have pained you, but thanks."

__

Nikolas took a breath before delivering the bad news "I found out Tom Baker has a brother, in fact it's a twin brother."

"He has a twin?"

__

"Yes, his name is Timothy Baker and he's also a photographer, apparently he was out of the country on assignment during Tom's trial that's why we didn't see him," Nikolas checked his notes. "Since he's returned he's been pressuring the governor on Tom's behalf trying to get a pardon."

"Oh god," she whispered. "Where does he live?"

__

"I don't know for sure, he has deeds on two places in New York City, and he also co-owns a building with Tom Baker in Port Charles. The building is the one that housed Tom's studio."

"You mean he could be in town right now?" She demanded.

__

"Maybe I don't know. We need to find out where he is. We need to know if he's been visiting Tom Baker. But this is information I can't get," Nikolas admitted. "If you don't want to go to the police, there's only one other person who can help."

"Don't say that."

__

"Elizabeth we need to know what is going on, we need to know who is doing this to you. In order to do that we need information, so it's either the police or Jason. Think about it."

"I will," she sighed wearily.

__

"I wish you would change your mind and stay at the hotel again. I'll get you a room there for as long as it takes, please let me do this for you."

She had never been so tempted in her life, but remained firm. "I'll be fine, these new locks are the latest and greatest."

__

"Call me when you get home," he ordered.

"I will." Elizabeth hung up the phone and rested her head on her hand and stared out into the night.

Her earlier run-in with Jason had been a failure that had only hurt both of them. It seemed that all of their meetings these days led to hurt for one of them, and she had to break the cycle. The only way she could do that was if she avoided Jason, and if he knew what was going on with her, there would be no way in hell she could avoid him. Jason would take it on himself to try to help her. She would be yet another problem that he felt compelled to solve, another person he was compelled to protect. She didn't want to be another Sonny, or Carly, or Courtney to him, she wanted to be special.

Moving around the counter she began the mechanical movements of closing down the diner. The monotonous chore gave her plenty of time to think. It wasn't unreasonable to want to be a priority in someone's life. It wasn't wrong to want to be trusted by someone she was involved with.

The phone rang again pulling her from her thoughts and she reached across the counter to answer it. "Kelly's." She waited but no one answered her. "Hello?" She was about to hang up when someone spoke.

__

"You look so good today."

Elizabeth gasped. "Who is this?"

__

"You know who I am. I'm the only man in your life, the only man who's ever been in your life."

"Your sick."

__

"I love it when you play hard to get Elizabeth. I've been watching you today. Did you like the hotel? I would have thought you'd like Courtland Street more, but you looked happy there."

She could only shake her head in horror.

__

"But I'm glad you came back home, how did you like my surprise? I looked everywhere for that dress, I can't wait to see it on you, and then off of you."

When he began to laugh Elizabeth dropped the phone and covered her mouth, trying not to be sick. Swallowing the worst of her fear she picked up the receiver again. "Why are you doing this to me?"

__

"I told you, you belong to me, you have ever since you sat down on that park bench, by the fountain and waited for me."

"I wasn't waiting."

__

"Yes you were, and soon we'll be together again just like we were that first night. Did you get tonight's surprise yet? I left it for you behind the counter."

Compelled to move Elizabeth went behind the counter and checked the shelves, shoved behind a silverware container she found a manila envelope. Her hands were shaking when she tried to open it. Photos spilled out on the counter. Photos that had been taken last night and today, photos of her. At the studio, at work, walking at the docks, yelling at Nikolas, yelling at Zander, yelling at Jason. But the one that made her gag was the photo of her leaning against the door of her studio. The photo had been taken when she was inside her studio that meant he had still been in her studio the night before. "Who are you?"

__

"Soon Elizabeth, soon. I've always loved you in red, but the more I see you in that soft blue sweater. The more I see the way it clings to your breasts, the more I like it. I wonder does it feel as soft as it looks? I think I'll find out."

"What? Hello, Hello," she began to scream in the phone when the sound of a dial tone reached her ears. The phone clattered to the counter and she raced for the door, locking it quickly she peered out into the night but all she saw was slanting rain.

Breathing heavy she moved back to the phone. She needed to get help. Picking up the phone she dialed a number from memory and brought the receiver to her ear, only to pull it away and look at it when she heard nothing. Confused she pressed down on cradle hanging the phone up, then lifting it again, in a vain attempt to get a dial tone. But the phone was dead in her hands.

"Oh god," she whispered. Moving around the counter again she reached for her bag and began to search for her cell phone. She could have screamed in relief when she found it, flipping it open she pressed on, but the LCD screen remained dark. The battery was dead.

"No," she wailed the same time the lights went out. The phone clattered to the ground and Elizabeth turned around quickly trying to look everywhere at once. She prayed that the lights had just went out because of the storm, but she couldn't help but remember her caller's final words.

Her eyes darted to the front door as she backed out from behind the counter, then they moved to look through the pitch-black kitchen in the direction of the back door. Which way should she run? She looked towards the front again.

Suddenly everything seemed to happen at once. A crash sounded from the kitchen the same time a giant flash of lightning lit the room and illuminated the outline of a man standing in front of the locked diner doors. Elizabeth screamed, turning around she raced up the stairs desperate to reach the safety of the rooms up there. The sound of breaking glass followed her frantic flight up the stairs.

__

Song Credit: Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word by Elton John


	4. Racing with the devil

****

Babble: Thanks for the great response to the first few parts of this story. I'm thrilled, so thrilled here's the next part. 

Please reply.

****

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Quagmire

Part IV

****

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth raced up the stairs and the dark short hallway greeted her, habit formed from years of living in the building had her racing to her old room. Her hand closed on the knob but it refused to yield, gasping for breath she moved to the door next to hers, Lucky's room but that door was locked as well. Over her ragged breathing the sound of someone moving up the stairs came to her, frantic she bypassed Emily's old room, knowing it was locked and headed for Tammy's door. Tammy was out of town but sometimes she forgot to lock the door.

The door at the end of the hall was her last hope for salvation and she raced to it, her breath started hiccupping out and a part of her realized she was close to hyperventilating. After what seemed like an eternity she reached the door, but it refused to open.

"Elizabeth…"

The sound of her name drifted down the hall, at the same time she spied her possible salvation out of the corner of her eye. The faint light that was visible from the stairs was blocked out when the man reached the top of the stairs. Gasping in fear she raced to the back staircase that led to the kitchen. She clattered down the steep, winding, steps until she crashed into the closed door.

She grabbed the handle and turned the knob the handle turned easily and the door opened about 3 inches. Stepping back she rammed her shoulder into the door trying to push it open even farther and it opened a few more inches. Drawing back she rammed it again and again, desperate to push the rack that was kept in front of the door, out of the way so she could escape.

Her shoulder throbbed, her heart was pounding so hard her chest actually hurt but she kept trying. Finally the door was opened far enough that she thought she could get out of it. Inhaling as much as she could she squeezed through the opening and out into the pitch-black kitchen. She hadn't quite worked herself free of the door when a hand closed on her arm. Amazingly she had enough breath to scream, which she did, falling backwards her momentum pulled the man's arm through the narrow opening and she jumped at the door slamming it on his arm, and he let go of her.

Terrified she raced around the shelves, stumbling over a pan that was on the ground, she crashed hard into the shelf that they kept the plates on. The sound of things falling behind her warned her that her attacker was trying to get out of the small stairwell. Lightning lit the dining room and a trace of it worked its way into the kitchen, and it illuminated the shiny silver blade of a knife. Without thinking twice she picked it up and raced for the doors.

One of the doors was open and she ran over the glass that lay on the threshold and took off through the small courtyard. Habit had her turning to the docks, to her studio. The rain pelted down on her, soaking her in an instant, but she didn't feel the icy sting of the frigid rain, she didn't feel anything at the moment, nothing except fear. Running down the steps that led to the docks her foot slipped on the wet planks and she fell down the last step, crashing heavily on the ground, the knife flew from her hands.

Desperation had her by the throat and she didn't feel the pain, crawling on all fours her hand closed on the hilt of the knife the same time his hand fell on her shoulder. Pushed beyond her endurance Elizabeth merely reacted, twisting around abruptly she slashed out with the knife. She heard him groan as the blade hit home, then his hand closed on hers and they wrestled for control of the knife. She screamed in pain and fear when he forced her to let go of the hilt and the knife clattered to the ground.

She tried to yank her arm free and grab the knife but he kept a hold of her and the more she tried to break free the stronger his hold became. She began to fight in earnest, kicking, hitting, trying to bite him everything she had been taught to do in her self-defense classes, but she couldn't break his powerful grip. His weight pinned her to the ground and she was immediately thrown back to the horrible night of years ago. Freezing at the memory she waited for the feel of his breath on her face, and the pain that would come next.

"Elizabeth answer me."

Water hit her eyes forcing her to blink, and when she opened them the face she saw was not the one she expected. Shaking her head she tired to clear her vision. "Not you."

"You're okay Elizabeth."

Tears spilled from her eyes. "Jason?"

"Yes," Jason was relieved to see recognition in her eyes and he eased his grip on her arms. "It's me."

"Oh my god," she closed her eyes and gave into her shaking. Fear, adrenaline, terror, relief, all of them were mixed inside of her. "Wh-what h-h-happened?" her teeth were chattering so hard it was hard to form the question.

"I don't know," moving carefully Jason sat back and pulled her up so she wasn't lying on the docks.

"I thought," covering her mouth she swallowed hard and tried again. "I thought you were him."

"Who?"

Elizabeth bushed the wet hair from her eyes then frowned at her hands when she saw red mixing with the rain and rolling off of them. "God," she moved to her knees and reached out to Jason. "Where did I get you?"

"It's okay," he tried to calm her fear.

"No it's not okay I stabbed you," she cried and yanked the zipper of his jacket down trying to find the wound. "Where?"

"I'm fi…" he broke off when her questing fingers found the wound in his side. "You just slashed me."

"Slashed you?" Horrified at the thought she looked up at him. "I didn't mean too."

"I know," he covered her hand. "I'll be fine."

"I need to get you to the hospital," she managed to stem her shaking somewhat and got to her feet. "Let me help you," bending down she took his arm.

"I don't need a hospital," he informed her even as he rose to his feet.

Stepping closer she rested her hand lightly on his wound and saw his eyes flicker in reaction. "Please."

"Okay," there was no way he could refuse her. 

"Lean on me," she ordered and slipped under his arm and tried to take his weight on his non-injured side. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Elizabeth," Jason answered. "I shouldn't have scared you."

"You didn't," she whispered.

When her shivering increased Jason decided to let his questioning go until they were out of the rain. Besides he had the feeling that until a doctor told her he would be fine, she wouldn't tell him anything. So he merely moved with her up the stairs heading to Waters street.

Lightning and the sound of thunder reverberated over the docks. The rain picked up in its intensity, and the sound of the water crashing into the posts of the docks, made the night seem even angrier. A man stepped out of the shadows and watched the pair move up the stairs.

"Soon Elizabeth." He vowed and rubbed his sore arm.

****

~GH~

Still shivering, drenched to the skin, and scared that she had really hurt Jason, Elizabeth huddled in a chair in the waiting room. The trip to the emergency room had been a blur, the only thing she had been consciously aware of was the heat that was seeping into her side, thanks to Jason's body heat. The sensation didn't mean anything to her, her concern was so great that he was losing blood on the other side, all because of her.

"I could have killed him," she finally said the words aloud and in doing so made them all the more powerful. Her determined pride to handle things by herself, her fear over being hurt again, had come back to haunt her. If she hadn't been so stubborn and would have told Jason what was going on with her, he wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed at the moment.

As frightened and worried as she was, she knew his injury wasn't life-threatening, but the fact remained the only reason he was hurt at all was because of her. It was her hand that had held the knife that had pierced his skin. She was the one to blame. Her mind rebelled at that thought. It wasn't her fault, not really, it was her stalker's fault.

"Elizabeth?"

The unexpected sound of her name had her flying out of the chair. "What? Is he okay?"

"Whoa," Dr. Chris Ramsey held up his hand to stall her questions. "If your asking me about Jason, I'm sure he's fine, Dr. Quartermaine is looking at him herself."

"She's his mother," Elizabeth's nods in approval stopped abruptly. "But she's a heart surgeon, oh god did I hurt his heart?"

"You broke his heart," Carly Corinthos commented loudly.

"Carly," not even hearing Carly's words Elizabeth moved to the blonde and grabbed her hand. "You have to make sure he's okay. You need to find out. You can do that, right?"

Carly was taken aback by the fear she saw in the younger woman's face. Her caustic comment died on her lips when she realized the fear was for Jason and not herself. Shifting her focus to the doctor she raised a brow in question.

"I didn't work on him, but I heard a nurse say he only needed a few stitches in his left side," Chris offered.

"There you heard him Jason's going to be okay," Carly awkwardly patted Elizabeth's hand. 

"Do you believe him?" Elizabeth was desperate for reassurance and until she could see Jason, Carly was the next best thing. Since Carly wasn't trying to tear her head off, she knew that Jason was probably going to be all right. She may hate to admit it, but she was very aware of how much Carly cared for Jason, and how protective she was of him.

"Yes." Carly's attention moved to Elizabeth. "I don't know about you though. Is this all Jason's blood or is some of it yours?"

"What?" Frowning in confusion Elizabeth looked down. Her sky blue angora sweater, that she had only worn twice, was torn, dirty, and bloody. Her sleeve was especially dark, curiosity had her pulling at the sleeve. She didn't even flinch when what was left of her bandage was ripped off when she pulled up her sleeve.

"That's what I wanted to check," Chris stepped up again. "It looks like you hurt your arm again."

"He grabbed me on the stairs," she explained absently. "I couldn't get away, but it doesn't hurt."

"I'm glad it doesn't hurt, but I think I better check you out anyway," worried about shock Chris softened his voice and lightly touched her back. "I need you to come with me."

"Jason," Elizabeth pointed to a door.

"We'll be back before Jason is done," Chris promised. "Mom's worry she won't let him out of there until she's fussed over him."

"He doesn't like people to fuss," she countered but moved down the hall with the doctor.

Staring after Elizabeth Carly was left to wonder aloud. "What the hell is going on?" 

~*~*~*~*~

"Monica it's a scratch," Jason was already reaching for his shirt.

"It's a big scratch that needs stitches," she countered with a stern tone. "Now when's the last time you had a tetanus shot?"

"Last year."

"Then it's time for a booster," she nodded at the nurse who stepped out to get it. "Relax Jason you'll be out of here before you know it."

"Fine," he forced himself to sit. 

"I see you picked up another scar." Monica gestured and tried to keep her voice light, as if the sight of scars on her son's chest didn't bother her.

Frowning he looked down to see what had caught her attention. "Actually that one is almost three years old," he corrected her.

"Three years?" Monica asked. "But you were living here then, I would have known if you were shot."

Jason remained quiet.

"It seems I wouldn't have known, I understand, back then I didn't matter too much to you, I probably still don't," she turned away until she had control of her tears. "I better stitch you up, I know Elizabeth is dying to see you."

When she felt she had control she turned around. "These stitches won't have to be removed, they'll dissolve in time," she informed him briskly and took a seat on the stool.

"You matter," he hesitated, "mom."

Monica kept her focus on her work, and the only reason her hand didn't shake was because of her years of training. She had learned not to make too much of what he said to her. She'd wait until she was alone to let the tears flow.

~*~*~*~*~

"Finally," Carly slammed the magazine closed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jason looked around the waiting room. "Where…"

"Dr. Ramsey is checking her arm," Carly answered.

"Why are you…"

"I had to get some things straight with Sonny's ex," again she answered before he finished the question. "Now it's my turn, what…"

"It was an accident and it's none of your business," he cut her off.

"Did…"

"I told you." Jason warned her with a look.

"Fine," Carly held up her arms in defeat. "Defend the muffin."

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration Jason sighed.

"I know I'm leaving," she moved over and kissed his cheek. "She's barely holding on Jason, so for god's sake don't act like Sonny."

Jason blinked in surprise at her unexpected warning, but before he could say anything the blonde was gone.

"Jason?"

Turning around he found his arms full of Elizabeth, his arms closed around her waist for an instant before she pulled back.

"I'm sorry did I hurt your side?" She asked in concern.

"No," he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine I'm not the one who was stabbed," she reminded him seriously. "I'm the one who did the stabbing."

Recognizing the look in her eye he looked over her head at the man who was approaching and gave him a cold glare. "Can you go get the elevator for us?" He asked her.

"Sure," she obediently moved to the elevator.

"What the hell did you give her?" Jason asked.

"A very mild shot for the pain," Chris replied. "She was sliding into shock, the drug is reacting with her system, that's why it's hitting her so hard. But I had to give her something, the burn was aggravated when you grabbed her arm the way you did, not to mention the healing cuts were ripped open again."

Jason turned his head and studied the petite brunette who was holding the doors open on the elevator. "Was she hurt anywhere else?"

"Not really she has some bruising on her arms, and her shoulder seemed stiff but she didn't want me to check it. She also has a skinned knee from where she fell, but other than that she's fine," Chris sighed. "She was more worried about you than anything else."

Nodding Jason moved towards Elizabeth. It was time to get some answers.

****

~Harborview~

"You need to go right to bed," Elizabeth pronounced once they hit the elevator. "You've had a shock and your body needs time to recover. So I'm going to tuck you in bed. You'll like that I used to be a great babysitter, you can ask little Jason Loader, except he isn't so little anymore, he's bigger than you."

Jason merely nodded and hit the button for the penthouse floor.

"You're probably sleepy," she smothered a yawn. Adrenaline had long since faded and numbness was beginning to seep into her bones. "Have you eaten anything?"

"Actually…"

"Because you shouldn't take the pills on an empty stomach," she went on. "They make you loopy."  


The doors opened and Elizabeth walked out of the elevator and turned to the right, only to stop and turn back around and head for the left. "Forgot again."

Jason quickly joined her at the door, unlocking the door he let her precede him inside before closing the door and locking it behind them. Elizabeth may not have realized it yet but she was staying with him tonight. All he had to do was inform her of it.

"Does your arm hurt?" He asked when he noticed her cradling it.

"I don't feel anything." Shaking her shoulders his coat slipped free and pooled at her feet, she stepped over it and kept walking. "I didn't think I'd see this pool table again." She sneezed and rubbed at her nose.

"You must be cold, I'll get you a towel and some dry clothes," he headed for the stairs.

"Jason," she called after him stilling him on the stairs. She clasped and unclasped her fingers, and studied her boots for a long time. "Can … can I stay here tonight?"

"I'd like that," he answered simply and moved upstairs. He had to tread lightly with Elizabeth. Something was going on with her and he needed her to tell him what. But at the same time he had to respect her anger and hurt. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Stripping off his shirt Jason tossed it on the bed and headed for his dresser. His first priority was making Elizabeth comfortable, and for that to work, he had to be able to have a conversation with her, without her shivering. He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a long-sleeved fleece t-shirt.

Lost in thought he jolted when he felt her cold hand on his back. Raising his eyes to the mirror over his dresser he watched Elizabeth move her hand over his side, until she reached his bandage. Her eyes met his in the mirror and he could see the tears in them. "Don't cry."

"I hurt you."

"I'm fine," he reassured her.

She rubbed at her temple and tried to make sense of things. Her brain felt so foggy at the moment she couldn't seem to hold onto any thought. "It's just like it was last time, only I stabbed you instead of Lucky. What does that mean?"

"When did you stab Lucky?" He asked quietly hoping she'd keep talking.

"When we were looking for Tom, only we didn't know it was Tom we thought it was Mr. Moody, but it was Lucky I stabbed not Mr. Moody even though it should have been Tom the whole time, but I didn't know it then," her jumbled thoughts jumped again. "I shouldn't handle knives anymore."

Confused Jason could only hold out the shirt. "Here put this on."

"Okay." Agreeable again Elizabeth reached for the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head before he realized what she was doing. Averting his eyes quickly he saw the sweater, then her bra hit the floor.

"It's warm," her voice was muffled, "I'm stuck."

Jason tugged at the hem and her head appeared through the opening.

"There you are," Elizabeth shot him an off-centered smile.

Nodding he bent over and picked up her ruined sweater. "I'll throw this in the laundry, I wouldn't count on it getting cleaned but we'll see."

Elizabeth snatched the sweater out of his hands and angrily stormed to the trashcan and threw it away. "I hate that sweater."

"Are you…" he broke off when he found himself addressing air as Elizabeth walked out of the room. Grabbing another shirt from his drawer he pulled it on and went after her. He found one boot just outside his door, the other a few feet down the hall and picked them both up. Her socks were near the entry of the spare bedroom, he hesitated but the door was still open so he knocked once then walked in the room.

Elizabeth heard him knock but kept her concentration on shimmying out of her wet jeans. "Denim sucks when it's wet."

Not from where he was standing it didn't. "We have to talk," he informed her and reminded himself at the same time, dropping the boots on the floor he moved closer.

"Not tonight," she shot back and finally free of the jeans she stalked to the bed and pulled back the covers.

"Yes tonight. We have to talk about what happened," he pressed.

"I told you…"

"Elizabeth."

"Fine," angry she spun around. "What the hell did you think you were doing chasing me like that? Didn't you realize chasing me through the dark, in Kelly's would scare the hell out of me? Are you really that desperate to talk to me that you'd do this to me?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"Oh that's just great, now you start lying to my face," she huffed and crawled in bed. "I think I liked it better when you simply ignored me. Well guess what? I don't want to fight with you tonight. So I'm going to sleep and in the morning we can fight, then I'll leave and we'll never fight again." Pronouncement made she turned on her side and yanked the covers up to her chin.

Now Jason was the one who was angry. "I'm not lying."

"Like I can believe you," she scoffed. "You're track record sucks."

Jason stalked to the bed and sat on it, rolling on her back Elizabeth glared up at him. "Do you really think I would deliberately try to scare you?"

"No," she answered honestly. "But if it wasn't you, then someone else chased me, and that scares me."

"I won't let anyone hurt you Elizabeth. Your safe with me," he promised her.

Tears slipped from her eyes. "That's what scares me most of all."

Puzzled he brushed the tears from her face. "What scares you?"

"Being with you," she admitted. "That's why I can't be," she rolled on her side and closed her eyes. "Goodnight Jason."

****

~Studio~

Angrily he worked the lock pick in the lock and tried to get the tumblers to turn. Elizabeth needed to be taught a lesson. He had warned her what would happen if she continued to see Jason. He had warned her that she belonged to him and him only. It was time she learned her lesson. It was time she learned what would happen if she disobeyed him. 

His eye fell on the package that was on the floor next to him. After his next surprise Elizabeth would never disobey, or run from him again. Humming under his breath he concentrated on working the locks free.

Soon.

So very soon.


	5. Chocolates are to die for

****

Babble: Here is more of this story. Remember it is a limited fic, only 11 parts, so it doesn't involve as many characters as my other stories do. But I still think it's fairly interesting. 

Please let me know what you think.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part V

****

~Penthouse~

Jason sipped his coffee and turned the page of the Herald. Reading about Alexis and Baldwin's latest verbal sparring match failed to interest him, but he stubbornly kept turning the pages. His attention on the paper was just to kill time until Elizabeth came downstairs. Judging from the sounds he'd heard awhile ago, it was only a matter of time. Once she did come down they were going to have a nice long talk.

It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about anything personal between them, so they wouldn't but that didn't mean they couldn't talk about what was going on with her. He had a lot of questions that he wanted answers too. Questions like why she had gone to see Taggert, why she had two bags full of Valentine decorations in her trash when it was only October. He especially wanted to know why someone had chased her through Kelly's last night and frightened her enough that she had lashed out with a knife. And he was going to find out who this him, was she kept referring too.

Sighing Jason set his now cold cup of coffee on the table, stood, and moved to the window. Memories of last night were still as fresh in his mind as five minutes ago was. He would never forget the sight of Elizabeth racing along the docks, her eyes wild, a butcher knife clutched in her hand. He'd yelled after her trying to stop her, but she'd kept running and then he'd seen her fall, and that had scared him even more. Afraid that she might have fallen on the knife he'd raced after her and reached out to touch her. When she had turned on him her eyes had been wild in fear, and that fear had made her lash out like an animal would. Even tough he'd repeatedly said her name she hadn't recognized him, and that had frightened him.

He wasn't a man that frightened easily. But the sounds she was making, the pleas that she didn't seem to be aware of uttering, her desperate fight, all of it had frightened him. Unaccustomed to the feeling he was determined never to feel it again. In order for that vow to work he needed to know what or who had put that fear in Elizabeth's eyes in the first place. His face, a cold and expressionless mask was reflected back at him in the windowpane and he made a promise to that reflection, that he would punish whoever it was that had terrified Elizabeth, and he would punish them badly.

Someone pounded on the door behind him and he hurried to open it. He barely had time to step back before being bowled over.

"She's missing," a half-crazed Nikolas Cassadine didn't waste anytime. "She's missing and I think something happened to her. You need to help me find her."

Jason's eyes moved to the stairs then back to the obviously worried man in front of him, playing a hunch he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth," Nikolas cried. "She was supposed to call me last night to let me know she got home safe but she never did. The phone lines were knocked down because of the storm, and she never answered her cell. I couldn't leave the island until an hour ago when the storm finally broke, but by then it was too late, she was gone. I think he may have her."

His gamble had paid off. "Who has her?"

Nikolas hesitated at the pointed question, but fear for his friend quickly overrode the promise he'd made to Elizabeth to keep her secret. "Elizabeth didn't want you to know what was happening to her. She didn't want me to know either, but I found out and pressured her until she told me everything. I tried to help her. I found out as much as I could, and I told her last night that she either had to go to the police or you for help, but it seems I spoke too late."

Jason was rapidly tiring of Nikolas' circular thoughts. "Tell me what is going on."

"I went to Kelly's as soon as I could, the cook, Don, was there taping up the window on the door," Nikolas went on like Jason hadn't spoken. "Someone had broken in and there had been a struggle of some sort in the kitchen, near the back stairs. I found these on the floor by the counter."

Jason recognized Elizabeth's cell and purse in Nikolas' hands.

"Don hadn't seen Elizabeth and he told me that the diner hadn't been closed down the way it was supposed to have been last night. I ran to the studio but the door was locked tight and she never answered it, so I came here." Nikolas focused on Jason. "I wasn't too proud to ask Sonny Corinthos for help to save my brother, and I'm not too proud to ask you for help to save Elizabeth."

"Save her from who?" Jason finally exploded. "Who does she need protection from? I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"That's just it we don't know for sure who is doing this to Elizabeth. All we know is that for the past several days she's been getting…"

"Nikolas," Elizabeth's call stopped his words.

Whirling around Nikolas spied her on the stairs. Her jeans were torn and she was swimming inside a shirt that had to be Jason's, but she was alive. She looked unhurt and more importantly, she was safe. Relief coursed through him and he quickly moved to her side enveloping her slight frame in a hug. "You scared the hell out of me."

Wincing slightly at the pain in her shoulder when she tried to hug him back, Elizabeth carefully held on. "I'm sorry I know I should have called."

"Yes you should have. What were you thinking?" The initial relief of seeing her alive faded into anger and Nikolas drew back to glare at her. 

"Things got a little crazy last night," she admitted and risked a glance at Jason who was blatantly eavesdropping.

"You know what I thought happened to you." Nikolas stopped his complaint when something else caught his attention. Taking her by surprise he tugged on the too big sleeve exposing her shoulder to the light. Instead of the creamy pale skin that should have been there, the skin was marred with dark purple bruises. "What happened?"

Jason came to alert when he saw the bruises and moved closer.

Even though Jason's expression never changed Elizabeth could tell he was angry by the way the vein in the corner of his forehead began to pulse. "I…" she hesitated and looked away from Jason. Unlike the other day she had all of her memories of last night including the fact that she had stabbed Jason. And even though he didn't look any the worse for wear she felt extremely guilty over that fact. But guilt and knowing that she should confide in Jason didn't seem to be enough for her to actually open her mouth and do it, so she hesitated.

"Look I'm not Jason's biggest fan but I think you need to tell him." Fed up Nikolas spoke again. "Something obviously happened last night at Kelly's, otherwise you wouldn't be here. That makes it two nights in a row now. What happens if he comes back tonight and this time you can't get away?"

"What happened to you the other night? Who can't you get away from?" Jason moved closer.

"I don't want to tell you," she whispered finally. "If I tell you I'll depend on you and you'll suck me back in."

Jason moved closer still and Nikolas stepped back out of the way trying to give them privacy. Because she was still on the stairs they were at eye level and he reached out until he took her hand in his. "I know I hurt you. But all I want to do right now is help you. I won't ask you anything about us I won't even mention it, just let me help."

Meeting his eyes was difficult and she searched the blue depths, but all she saw was concern and caring reflected back at her and she began to weaken. Waking up in the spare bedroom, knowing Jason was just down the hall was the safest she'd felt in days, and she wanted desperately to keep that feeling.

"Please talk to me," Jason squeezed her hands.

Had she ever been able to refuse him when he'd said please? "The night you brought me home from the hospital, I checked my…"

"Jason where the hell were you? You missed the meeting with Tagliati last night." Sonny Corinthos stormed through the open door of the penthouse. Realizing too late that Jason wasn't alone he came to an abrupt stop but the damage had already been done.

Elizabeth stiffened and pulled her hands away from him. A shutter descended in her eyes and over her face taking all of the emotion out of her face. Brushing past Jason she moved the rest of the way down the stairs and joined Nikolas who was waiting by the couch. "We better go," she said, taking her bag from his hands.

"Wait," Jason intercepted her. "We still need to talk."

"No we don't not anymore, you're boss is here," she reminded him bitterly. "It seems I've already gotten you in trouble with him once, I'd hate to do it again by making him wait."

"Elizabeth," Sonny tried to break in.

"Don't worry Mr. Corinthos I'm leaving," she informed him icily and saw him flinch. "Soon Jason will be all alone and available at a moment's notice whenever you call him, which, we all know, is exactly they way you like it."

"Wait," Jason reached out to stop her but she evaded his hand.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you last night," she continued briskly and saw Nikolas pale out of the corner of her eye. "I thought you were someone else, my mistake."

When her eyes met Jason's he knew that she meant that last line in more than just one way.

Elizabeth didn't even bother to check if Nikolas was following her when she moved past Sonny without a word and into the hall to wait for the elevator.

"What the hell did she mean she stabbed you?" Sonny asked when Jason tried to move past him.

"Not now," dismissing him Jason moved after Elizabeth. "Wait," he stuck a hand between the doors stopping them from closing. "You can't just leave, I need to talk to you."

"Does the phrase too little, too late, mean anything to you? I wanted nothing more than for you to say those words to me for weeks now, but not like this. You know I'm in trouble so it's SuperJase to the rescue, well that's just not good enough," she snapped angrily. "I know you want to help me. If I'm hurt, or someone was after me, you would be the first person by my side, I know that."

"That's right," Jason agreed.

"The point is I need someone who wants to be and will be by my side when I'm not hurt, when I'm not afraid. I need someone who's willing to spend a rainy night with me just because. You're at your best in a crisis, but on the day to day, you suck," she covered her mouth to swallow her tears. "I need someone who will put my needs, if not first, at least second, not an also ran, or an afterthought."

"You are not an afterthought," he argued.

"That's how you make me feel, and I don't want to feel like that anymore. I'll figure a way out of my problems on my own. I need to get used to doing that anyway," she brushed his hand off the door and the elevator doors quickly closed. Elizabeth waited until they closed completely and the car began to move before collapsing back against the wall.

"Don't," she ordered when Nikolas stirred beside her.

"He's hurting almost as much as you are," Nikolas marveled at the discovery.

"Please don't say anymore," she begged.

"I just want to know who are you trying to punish here. You or Jason?" Nikolas asked.

"What?"

"I know your mad at him and from where I stand you have a right to be. But it seems to me that you're trying awfully hard to find a reason to stay mad at him."

"Why would I do that?" Elizabeth sniffed.

"Because as long as you're angry you don't have to deal with the hurt your feeling. And until you deal with the hurt you won't be able to forgive Jason, and that keeps you both in limbo. You won't deal with the hurt Jason caused you yet at the same time you're using that hurt to keep everyone else away," he finished. "Sooner or later that will have to stop."

~*~*~*~*~

The instant the doors closed Jason hit them in frustration.

"Take it easy Jase."

Not even bothering to stop the groan Jason merely bowed his head and tried to ignore his friend.

"Unlike the muffin," Carly informed him, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't start Carly," he warned her and scrubbed at his face.

Carly had fought with herself for a long time before making up her mind. In the end it was her love for Jason and her own feelings that she'd had when she'd found out Sonny had lied to her, that made up her mind. She was going to help Jason with the muffin even if Elizabeth didn't deserve him. She just had to do it in a way that he didn't know what she was going. The last thing she wanted to be accused of was helping Elizabeth.

"Do you remember how crazy things got around here a few years ago? Hannah the banana was snowing you and Sonny and I was stuck with AJ?" Carly asked.

Curious Jason dropped his hands. "What?"

"I'm just asking if you remembered. I wanted to know if you remembered how crazy Sonny got when he found out, and how he tried to string Hannah along. You didn't like that, in fact you repeatedly tried to talk him out of it," she reminded him.

"Carly…"

"Then there was the time that Sonny got mad at me and you thought he was going to hit me. You remember how you got in his face that night and yelled at him?"

"What are you driving at?"

"Or there was the time Sonny wanted you to come to Martinique and tell me that he wasn't coming down to marry me, and you refused."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Jason snapped.

Used to his exasperation Carly ignored it. "I'm just seeing if you remembered all the times you used to stand up to Sonny when you didn't agree with what he was doing or saying. He never cut you out of his life for questioning him or saying no to him, did he?"

"Jason?" Sonny stepped out in the hall. "Carly," he smiled at his wife but her expression remained stony.

"I'm going out," Carly announced. Rising to her toes she kissed Jason's cheek. "Sonny is your friend first, at least he should be. Maybe it's time both of you remembered that," she whispered before rubbing the lipstick off his cheek. Ignoring Sonny entirely she got on the elevator when the doors opened and disappeared from view.

Sighing at his wife's anger Sonny trailed Jason back inside the penthouse. "Did Elizabeth leave?"

"Yes."

"Is she okay?" Sonny asked curiously. "What did she mean she stabbed you? Are you okay?"

"Since when have you cared how Elizabeth is, or me for that matter?" Jason asked.

Caught off-guard by the cool tone Sonny studied his friend and was dismayed by the expression on Jason's face. It was an expression Jason normally wore when he was talking to Taggert or some other thug. This was the first time it had been directed in his direction and seeing it now, made him decidedly uneasy.

"You wanted to talk to me about Tagliati?" Jason let his other comment drop. He needed to handle whatever new crisis Sonny had and find Elizabeth.

A part of Sonny wanted to pursue Jason's earlier comment, yet in the end he decided to answer the Tagliati question instead. Taking the easy way out of things was a habit he'd developed recently and he was used to it by now.

****

~Kelly's~

"Thanks for waiting for me while I got ready for work Nikolas." Nearing the diner Elizabeth's steps began to slow.

"I didn't mind," Nikolas answered. "I'm glad that other than messages it doesn't appear he got in your studio."

Elizabeth nodded. "There were scratches on the locks so someone definitely tried, but thanks to my tricks I know he didn't get in."

Shaking his head he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the trick Elizabeth was so proud of. "Where did you learn that?"

"Alias and reruns of Charlie's Angels," she smiled at his expression. "Don't laugh it worked, I broke the hairs I left when we opened the door this morning, that meant no one else did last night, so no one was inside in my absence."

"You're right it's a good trick," Nikolas agreed and noticed that Elizabeth's steps had dawdled almost to a crawl.

Distracted by the sight of Kelly's Elizabeth merely nodded. She had worked in the diner for over 5 years now and for the first time she was afraid to go inside of it. The safety she'd clung too, disappeared the instant Jason had informed her it hadn't been him who had chased her through Kelly's the night before. Nikolas was right for two nights she had managed to escape because of luck, would her luck hold for a third night?

"I'm glad you changed your mind about staying at the studio," Nikolas interrupted her thoughts. "But I wish you'd move to Wyndamere."

Elizabeth couldn't repress a shudder. "No that place has too many bad memories. I'll stay at the Port Charles Hotel, thanks for paying for the room. I'll pay you back as soon as I came."

"I don't care about the money. I'd pay anything to keep you safe. You're my friend," he reminded her. "And because you are I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear."

Groaning Elizabeth began walking again but Nikolas wouldn't be denied.

"Since you won't let me send you out of the country, you need to tell someone else what is going on. You have to know that you need more help than I can give you. That means you either tell Taggert or Jason."

"I can't believe you're encouraging me to tell Jason. I thought you hated him," she stalled.

"I'm not his biggest fan," Nikolas conceded. "But he has the connections we need and he can protect you, so I think you need to tell him."

"Wait," she paused to get clarification because that was the last piece of advice she'd thought she'd ever get from Nikolas. "You'd rather I tell Jason over the police?"

"He has connections the police don't have," he reminded her. "Also he won't need proof before he takes action, the police will need proof."

"By action you mean he'll kill him right?" Elizabeth asked.

"Whatever Jason does or doesn't do to the creep who is terrorizing you, I'll never condemn him for it." Nikolas answered honestly and bluntly. "Whoever it is will deserve what he gets, even if that's death by Jason's hand."

Unsettled by the blasé way Nikolas was discussing a potential cold-blooded murder Elizabeth moved into the courtyard of Kelly's.

"I apologize if my opinion upsets you." Nikolas wasn't comfortable with the implication either. But ever since his father's miraculous return and subsequent death, life had gotten a lot grayer. There were no absolutes in the world anymore, he viewed the world with a far more critical eye than he had before.

"I need to get to work," Elizabeth dodged having to answer the question.

"I'll be back to pick you up," he looked at his watch. "Call me anytime for any reason at all, and try to think about what I said."

"I will," Elizabeth agreed and with a final breath to steady herself she walked through the doors doing her best to ignore the implications of the piece of cardboard that covered one of the windows.

~*~*~*~*~

Work was actually going pretty good. Bobbie had seemed to buy her storm freak out and forgiven her for leaving the diner the way she had, and nothing else had been said. Jason had yet to make an appearance and for that she was both relieved and disappointed. You would have thought he would press her for details, then again Jason never pressed anybody, he was content to let everyone lead their life with no pressure from him.

"Now that's a cheery look," Carly Corinthos commented dryly.

Instantly alert Elizabeth looked up at the older blonde. "Can I get you something?" She asked coolly.

"Yeah I need to talk to you."

"I'm sorry but I'm working here, I don't have a break for awhile and when I get one I have better things to do then sit with you," Elizabeth replied shortly.

"You're not busy," Carly pointedly looked around the almost empty diner. "What's the matter little girl are you afraid to talk to me?" She taunted to get results.

Even knowing Carly was baiting her wasn't enough to make her stop from rising to it. "Fine you got five minutes."

"That's all I'll need." Carly replied and led the way to a table near the door. Once settled, she tried to think of a way to begin. She couldn't be as subtle with Elizabeth as she had been with Jason, it wouldn't work. She still didn't believe she was doing this at all. This was goody-goody muffin face Webber she was pushing at her best friend. There was definitely something wrong with this picture.

"Why don't you just get it over with?" Elizabeth blurted out. "I imagine the laughter must be damn well choking you by now, so why don't you just let it out?"

Carly was genuinely puzzled. "Why would I laugh at you?"

"After the ass I made of myself when I thought Sonny was dead how could you not? God you're a better actress than I thought, you must have been rolling when I showed up with brownies, to check on you. I even cleaned your apartment, I know that had to amuse you, so go ahead and laugh I've been waiting for this visit for days now."

"I never even considered laughing at you." Her voice soft but serious Carly corrected her. "What you did for me was unexpected and very nice." And the actions still baffled her. Elizabeth had genuinely seemed to care about her and how she was doing, and that was the last thing she'd ever expected.

"Right," Elizabeth snorted in disbelief.

"Why were you nice to me?" Carly asked.

The sarcastic reply dried up when Elizabeth saw there was no ridicule or laughter on Carly's face only curiosity. "Your husband died unexpectedly. I saw you that night you were planning you future with him and the next minute he was gone, taken from you in an instant, without any warning at all. I know how that feels. I know the pain that comes from losing a love so abruptly," she explained carefully.

"You mean with Lucky?"

"Yes, I know he's alive, but I've never been able to banish the memory or the pain I felt when I saw the burning garage. I've never forgotten how I felt when they removed a body from the building and told me it was Lucky." Even now the memory threatened to overwhelm her. "Even though he's alive, I carry that memory with me."

"That's got to be rough."

"I knew what you were feeling or at least I thought I did. I knew the brownies probably wouldn't even register to you, nor would me cleaning your apartment. But sooner or later when the grief eased you would be aware that you hadn't been alone," she shrugged. "There's something else we had in common, we both know how it feels when someone comes back from the dead. Of course it took over a year before I found out Lucky was alive, and you found out when? That night, or did you know the whole time?"

"You're right I did know and yes I didn't tell you, it wasn't my place too," Carly began.

"Save it Carly, I've heard it all before."

"Fine you don't want to hear that, there is something you do need to hear little girl," Carly said sharply when Elizabeth started to rise. "When you were kidnapped Jason almost lost it. I knew he was freaked for you but I didn't know how freaked until the day he went to Edward Quartermaine for help."

Elizabeth sank back in her chair in disbelief. "Mr. Quartermaine?"

"That's right Jason went to a man he despises. He went into a house he hates to try to get help to find you. When that didn't work his next stop was Taggert."

"No way," Elizabeth shook her head.

"Yes he told Taggert what was going on and asked for help," Carly went on. "He went to two people he hates, all to help find you."

She didn't want to believe what Carly was saying was true. But why would Carly lie to her, especially about something that was so easy for her to check out?

Getting to the point in her story that Carly had been dreading, she made a promise to herself that Jason was going to owe her big for this. "What do you think Sonny did when he found out?"

The mention of Sonny made Elizabeth frown.

"You're right he wasn't happy. He was upset that Jason went to Taggert, he said it was a mistake to trust a cop." Carly didn't want to say these things about her husband aloud, because by saying them she couldn't ignore how out of control Sonny had been getting, anymore.

"A few weeks ago Sonny wanted Zander dead, he told Jason to make it happen," Carly went on coldly. "Obviously Jason refused to kill him and he told you to get Zander out of town instead. He went against Sonny's wishes wanted because of you."

"Sonny agreed Zander could stay," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Eventually he did but not until he ripped into Jason, questioning his loyalty, attacking his every move since he got back in town. Do you have any idea what Sonny's accusations did to Jason?"

It wasn't hard to imagine he devastation Jason had to have been feeling. Jason's loyalty to Sonny was the most important thing to him, he used it to define who he was, so for Sonny to question it, and him, must have hurt Jason terribly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I didn't tell you Sonny was alive because it only occurred to me after you were nice, and that was easy to ignore. Sonny confided in me about his business, his plans, for the very first time in our marriage. I wasn't about to give him a reason to doubt me by telling you. I was going to prove to him that he could trust me no matter what, no matter when," Carly explained.

"Okay I get your reasons for keeping quiet but I still don't know what that has to do with me."

"Since Jason's return Sonny has questioned Jason's loyalty twice. I saw Jason face that day, I know how much Sonny's doubt hurt him. Because of this Jason was in the same place I was, desperate to prove his loyalty to Sonny, desperate to prove he could be trusted."

"After all of these years and everything Jason has done for Sonny the last thing he should have to do is earn Sonny's trust," Elizabeth fired back in defense of Jason.

"I agree." Carly was relieved to see the anger, it meant that Jason still had a shot. "Do you remember how you felt the first time your best friend, or your father said they didn't believe you anymore?"

Elizabeth nodded she knew that disappointing feeling very well. 

"Jason heard that for the first time a few days before all of this began. He didn't expect it and he didn't deserve it, yet that's what he got." Carly got to her feet, she'd made an attempt the rest was up to Elizabeth. "I just wanted you to have all the facts before you saw Jason again."

"Why do you care?"

"I don't know. I don't like you, and I know you don't like me, and yet you cared when you thought Sonny was dead." Carly reached for her sunglasses. "If it makes you feel any better, Sonny didn't completely trust me either. He kept me in the dark about Brenda, and he had Jason do the same. I'll tell you something else, as much as Jason hated not telling me about Brenda, he hated avoiding you more."

With those final words and her firm belief that her good deed for the millennium was over Carly turned and flounced away leaving Elizabeth with a lot of new things to think about.

~*~*~*~*~

"Bobbie I'm taking my break," Elizabeth called over her shoulder when the door opened. "Thanks for coming."

"I'm glad you called," Jason hesitated. "You want to talk here?"

"Yeah," she led the way to a table by the window and before she could sit Jason had reached around her to pull out the chair for her. His ingrained manners were shining through again. "I said some harsh things to you this morning, and pretty much daily for almost a week now. I don't want to keep doing that."

Jason unzipped his jacket trying to make himself comfortable. "You had a right to be angry."

"I know and I'm not apologizing for being angry. I just think I might have come down on you harder than I should have." Nerves had her rubbing at the table with the cloth she still held in her hands. "I don't know if we can get back to what we once were Jason, but I realized that I don't want to lose you entirely," she darted a look at him. "Unless I already have."

"You haven't," he reassured her and sighed in relief.

"Good," she offered a slight smile. "I'd like to see if we could be friends again."

Wanting to touch her but knowing he'd lost that right, Jason was content to sit across from her and study her. He'd missed being around her more than he'd realized.

"I need your help with something," Elizabeth murmured. "And before you agree there are conditions."

"I'm listening."

Forcing her hand to stop the incessant wiping Elizabeth met his eyes squarely. "I need you to find out if someone is in town, and if he is how long he's been here, and where he's living. Can you do that?"

"Yes. Wh…"

"That's the condition you can't ask me why," she cut him off. "Maybe I'll tell you after I hear what you find out but not now. For now I just want to know if you'll help me without questions."

Knowing this was a test Jason was determined not to blow it. "What's the guy's name?"

"Timothy, Timothy Baker."

The name Baker rang a bell in his memory and even as he nodded he tried to place it. "I can probably find out for you within a few hours."

"Good," she sighed in relief.

"I'd like you to have a guard, if this is the guy who chased you last night, you need protection."

"I told you no questions."

Rising he caught her hand before she could storm away. "I'm not asking you why he was chasing you I just want to know if you'll let me assign you a guard. I'd do it myself but I don't want to pressure you. So I was thinking about Francis, you like him, he's guarded you before."

"Don't you mean you can't because you're too busy with Courtney?" The demand slipped out before she could stop it. "Don't answer that."

"I want too," he waited until she met his eyes. "I'm not guarding Courtney anymore, I assigned her a guard."

"Sonny probably didn't like that."

"I don't care," Jason answered.

Elizabeth studied their joined hands for a long time and considered his words. "What if I said I'd feel better if it was you who were around?"

Surprised Jason was about to reply when his cell began to ring. Frowning in annoyance he pulled it out of his coat. "Yeah."

Wondering where the comment had come from Elizabeth kept her focus on their hands, until she heard whom he was speaking too.

"What do you need Sonny?"

At the mention of Sonny's name Elizabeth withdrew her hands and stepped back. 

Jason smothered a curse when she withdrew. "What about Courtney? Now? Fine I'll be there." Closing the phone he braced himself for her anger.

"You better go, Sonny beckons," she said coolly.

"He says it's an emergency," Jason offered.

"When isn't it?" She asked bitterly before waving the question away. "Forget I asked. And you know what I think we should forget this entire conversation. I'm too angry with Sonny to be around you right now. He's your boss, he's your friend, your family, and every time I hear his name I get mad at you and that's not fair to you. Maybe we should try this again, in a few weeks, when I'm not so angry."

"Elizabeth wait," Jason advanced on her but she kept moving back. "I don't want to wait, I want to know what's going on."

"I can't," she gestured to his jacket. "We can't even make it through a conversation without being interrupted, so there's no way I can depend on you now. Go to Sonny, do what wants you to do, it's what you do best. I'll handle my problems on my own."

"I can do both, I shouldn't have to choose," frustrated Jason shot back.

"I agree and I never tried to make you choose, and I'm still not going too. I'm merely choosing to do what is best for myself. I'm choosing to be selfish," she blinked the tears out of her eyes. "If you would be selfish for once in your life you might be amazed at what you find out. But we both know you'll never do that. For some reason you seem to believe that what you want or need isn't as important as what Sonny wants."

"You were the same with Lucky," he reminded her harshly.

Sucking in the pain the unexpected dart caused her Elizabeth nodded. "You're right and you can see where that got me."

"I'm sorry," Jason whispered.

"Don't be you only spoke the truth. I've learned from my mistakes, or at least I'm trying too, that's why I'm protecting myself from doing them again. You better leave."

"Elizabeth…"

"Is everything okay here?" Lieutenant Taggert interrupted the tense scene.

Elizabeth realized the perfect excuse to drive Jason away had just presented itself and she leapt on it. "Actually Lieutenant I'd like to talk to you, it's about our conversation the other day. Some things have happened that you need to be aware of."

Jason felt his stomach drop when he realized she was willing to confide in Taggert and not him. Shaking his head in defeat Jason turned and stalked out of the diner, slamming the door behind him so hard, some of the already fragile glass fell to the floor.

Instead of feeling happy at her victory over getting rid of Jason all she felt was empty. She had won all right and all it had taken for her to do it was hurting Jason. Turning to his sworn enemy for help, right in front of him, probably killed what little relationship they'd had left.

"What did you want to talk to me about Elizabeth?" Taggert asked.

****

~Warehouse~

Jason was in a filthy mood by the time he reached the office, he strode through the outer office without a word and shoved Sonny's door open. "What's the emergency?"

Surprised Sonny hung up the phone. "What's wrong?"

"Since when do you ask me that?" Jason asked shortly. All the conversations he'd had with Elizabeth and with Carly was swirling around in his head. Carly reminding him how he used to stand up to Sonny, Elizabeth accusing him of only living to serve Sonny.

"Whoa," Sonny cried. "Look I don't know what your problem has been lately but it has to stop."

Inhaling sharply Jason tried to swallow his anger. "You said it was an emergency what did you want?"

Sonny sighed and moved around the desk. "Why aren't you with Courtney?"

Frustrated and surprised, even though he shouldn't be, Jason pulled on his neck. "Courtney didn't want me to guard her anymore. She knew me helping her would hurt her husband so she requested another guard. I assigned Greg to her. Things have died down, the stalker hasn't even contacted her in two days."

"Why wasn't I informed?"

"You were just didn't want to hear it," Jason replied sharply. "Courtney told you herself that she didn't want me guarding her."

"That's just AJ, I want her safe, I trust her with you."

"You had Greg guard Michael," Jason reminded him. "Are you saying you trust Greg to guard Michael but not Courtney?"

Jolted at being questioned Sonny shook his head and moved on. "About Brenda…"

"I have a guard watching her from a distance, and I have one on Alcazar too. Since he's been in the hospital Benny has been crawling through Alcazar's accounts, keeping one step ahead of the police. He's draining them, I figured we'd funnel some to Brenda, then some to the families of the men Alcazar killed then invest the rest," Jason explained. "That way if Alcazar ever does manage to get out of the hospital or prison, he won't have any money."

Sonny took a seat on the edge of the desk and had no idea what to say, and for once he didn't have too. Jason was doing all the talking.

"Michael will be back tomorrow, his plane arrives at 10:00 I've already told Carly so she'll meet him at the airport. Tagliati has been backed off, and made the necessary apologies, I don't see any potential problems from him. The DA can squawk all he wants but he can't charge either of us in your phony death or in Alcazar's shooting." Pausing he focused on his boss. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"Do we have a problem?"

"Should we?" Jason countered. "I'm doing my job just like you trained me too, I'm anticipating the problem and getting rid of them before they get too big. In other words I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for years. If you have a problem with the way I'm handling things, let me know, now."

"I don't have a problem with your work, I want to know if there is a problem between us," Sonny demanded.

"Why do you suddenly care?" Jason flared. "You haven't asked my opinion, or for my advice in months. If you're worried about me not being here if you need something, don't worry, I don't have anything else to do. Now if the emergency is over, I'm going to leave."

Before Sonny could say a word Jason pivoted and stalked out the door. Anger poured through him and he reacted instantly. Picking up a glass from the desk he hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered just as Carly entered the room. 

"Problems?" She asked as if she hadn't been eavesdropping the whole time.

"What is going on with Jason? Is what's going on with Elizabeth making him crazy?" Sonny demanded.

"Actually I think what's going on with Elizabeth is the thing that's making him sane," Carly countered. "It's you who is making him crazy."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he cried and stalked back around his desk.

"Okay maybe I don't so why don't you tell me when you demoted Jason?" Carly asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know at one point you intended for Jason to take over for you if something happened to you, he already did it once, so I just figured he'd proved his worth, but apparently I'm wrong," she perched on a chair. "So when did he lose his job?"

"He didn't."

"Sonny I know the pecking order, you may not want me too, but I do. It goes snitch, runner, courier, grunt, guard, enforcer, then I don't know understudy?" She shrugged. "I thought Jason had jumped through all the hoops, but now you have him guarding people, you have him making pickups, you question is loyalty, you pick at his every move."

Sonny tried to ignore her words but the truth of them wouldn't be denied.

"Maybe you do still trust him when it comes to work, from what I just heard you better, it sounds like he's been covering your ass for quite awhile now," Carly drummed her fingers on the desk. "Maybe the better question is when did Jason stop being your friend?"

"He hasn't," he contended.

"Really, when was the last time you listened to what's going on in Jason's life? When was the last time you noticed the fact that he's hurting? Did you even realize he was stabbed last night? Did you ever bother to try to find out what happened?" Carly asked, and with every question her own anger grew.

"So now you're lecturing me on how to be a friends?" Sonny demanded.

"I wouldn't presume to do that, because I'm just as selfish as you are, or at least I thought I was," she got to her feet. "You know for days now I've been searching for any glimpse I can find of the man I married, and I can't see it, I can't see him in you anymore." She headed for the door, and paused to look at him again. "It seems that Jason is finally wondering where is friend went as well. So if you see his best friend, or my husband, tell him he's missed."

****

~Kelly's~

Jason let himself inside the diner, still frowning at the unexpected package in his hand. 

"Hi Jason," Bobbie chirped. "What do you have?"

"A box of chocolates," Jason held it out. "It's an apology from Elizabeth," he looked around the diner. "Is she still here?"

"No she's delivering a meals on wheels, she'll be back in about 15 minutes," Bobbie moved around the counter drawn to the box of chocolates like it was a beacon. "What kind are they?"

Shrugging Jason opened the box and heard Bobbie sigh. Reaching in he pulled out a piece of chocolate and bit into it slightly. "Tastes like raspberries."

"Ohh that sounds good," Bobbie hinted.

Jason grinned and grabbed a handful, before handing her the box. "Have them."

"Are you sure? Don't you want to share with Elizabeth? After all she did buy them for you," Bobbie reminded him even as she clutched the box.

"I'm positive, Elizabeth is allergic to raspberries, remember?" 

"Oh that's right, I wonder why she chose this kind then," Bobbie grinned. "Probably because she knew that she would have the same kind of willpower I do when faced with his decadent box, which is none, and got a kind that she couldn't eat if she wanted too."

"Probably," Jason agreed and took a seat. He watched Bobbie carry the box to the counter where Felicia Jones and her daughters were.

"None for you Lucas," Bobbie reminded her son.

"Chocolates," Courtney was drawn from the kitchen the instant the box was set down.

~*~*~*~*~

"Jason," surprised Elizabeth hesitated just inside the door before moving over to the table.

"I have the information you wanted," Jason got to his feet. "That is if you still want it."

"I do," she took the chair opposite him. "I wanted to apologize to you for earlier." She kept her focus on the table and the few empty candy holders that were there.

"I shouldn't have pushed you."

"And I shouldn't have gone off on you like that over Sonny. I don't have the right to say anything about how you live your life." She reached out for the lone piece of chocolate on the table.

"Don't it has raspberry in it remember?" Jason plucked the candy from her hand. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?" She asked in confusion.

"The chocolate," he pointed to the box on the counter. "You didn't have to buy me any chocolate to say you're sorry."

Frowning Elizabeth turned to look, and her heart began to pound when she saw the gaudy red heart box of candy that was open on the counter. "I didn't send you any candy."

"Sure you did," Jason pointed at the note on the table. "I got your note right here," he brought the piece of candy to his lips.

She focused on the note.

__

I'm sorry for earlier. Enjoy the chocolate and know I'm thinking of you with each bite you take. 

Elizabeth

Lunging over the table Elizabeth knocked the piece of candy from his hand. "I didn't send any candy and I sure wouldn't send you any candy in a Valentine heart box."

Before he could answer a scream from the counter caught both their attention.

"Mom," Lucas cried and tried to support his mother when she abruptly began to convulse.

A crash sounded from the kitchen and Elizabeth could hear Don calling out Courtney's name.

"Mom I don't feel good," Maxie Jones cried out, before clutching at her stomach.

Horrified Elizabeth turned back to look at Jason and her eye fell on the empty wrappers on the table. "How many of those have you eaten?"


	6. My Funny Valentine

****

Babble: If you would like to read more please let me know.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part VI

****

~General Hospital ER~

The waiting room near the ER was beginning to be a freakishly familiar place to Elizabeth. She had made the trip to the ER three times in the past three days that had to be a record of some sort. Of course who would want a record like that? She knew it took her exactly 18 steps from corner to corner, she knew she stepped over 8 panels in the floor, and the third one had a big glob of bubble gum that she had to avoid every time she paced over it.

"Why don't you sit down?"

"I can't sit down," she didn't even pause, just pivoted and began to cross to the other side of the room.

"You're going to wear yourself out if you don't stop, not to mention me," Jason pointed out.

"I'll be fine," Elizabeth paused midstep and practically ran to his side. "Are you okay? Are you feeling bad again?" Without waiting for his reply she pressed a hand to his forehead. "You don't feel that warm and you're not perspiring. But that doesn't mean anything. I knew you should have had your stomach pumped like the rest. Wait here I'll get the nurse," she turned to go only to be pulled down in a chair.

"Elizabeth I'm fine," he squeezed her hand trying to reassure her. "I didn't eat enough of the chocolates to get sick."

"You look pale though," she touched his cheek. Ever since the frightening dash to the emergency room she couldn't seem to stop touching him. She needed the contact to reassure herself that he was okay. 

"I'm fine, I just don't like hospitals." He tightened his grip on her hands when she went to stand. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is, those kids," she trailed off and felt sick to her stomach. 

"Lucas is fine he didn't have any candy because he's diabetic. You heard the doctor Georgie Jones, threw up three times, other than that she's fine. Maxie needed her stomach pumped, and so did Felicia, and all of them will be released in a few hours, when they're not dehydrated."

"Yeah but what about Courtney and Bobbie?" She asked quietly.

"You heard the doctor, he didn't seem to think the poison was life-threatening," he reminded her and saw her flinch when he said poison. 

"Poison. Do you know how crazy that sounds? Someone poisoned all of those people because of me, they tried to poison you," a tear slipped down her cheek. "He told me to stay away from you, I should have listened."

Jason moved until he was crouching on the floor in front of her chair and tilted his head until he could see her face. "This is not your fault. You didn't ask for any of this."

"I was so stupid. Why didn't I just tell you what was going on? Why did I think protecting myself from being hurt by you again, was more important than finding this guy?" The blame game was starting already.

"You'll tell me now," reaching up he brushed the tears from her cheeks but they were quickly replaced. "And we'll figure this out, together."

Elizabeth took hold of one of his hands and held it to her cheek while she studied his eyes, finally she lowered it to rest in her lap. "Is this what you felt?"

"When?"

"All those time you were afraid I'd be hurt because of you? The time you told me you wouldn't hold me in your arms and watch me bleed again, is this why? Because you didn't want to feel this kind of guilt?" 

"Sort of, but there's a difference. I walked into my life with my eyes wide open. So anything that happens to me is something I always knew could happen because of the choices I made," he shifted closer. "You didn't ask for this. You didn't do anything to deserve this guy's attention."

"But you could have died because of me. You could be the one lying on a gurney in there hooked up to machines, because you ingested some kind of poison. You didn't ask for that." Elizabeth reminded him.

"You wouldn't let me push you away because I was afraid something would happen to you, I'm not let going to let you push me away either," he promised her.

Sighing she brought her head down until she rested her forehead against his. "I'm scared Jason. I don't think I was this scared when I was locked in that crypt."

"I won't let anything happen to you Elizabeth."

"I'm not afraid for me, I'm afraid you and other people I care about. He knew I wouldn't eat the chocolates. He made sure I couldn't eat them. He wanted to punish me, but he didn't want me hurt." She drew back and ran a hand down his cheek. "He told me to stay away from you. When I got to my studio this morning, there were 10 new messages, he was mad at me, because he knew I stayed with you last night. The last message said he was going to teach me a lesson for disobeying him."

Jason was getting more and more angry. Since Elizabeth had realized that the chocolates were making people sick and they came to the hospital she had been filling in the blanks over what had been going on with her the past several days. He hadn't gotten the whole story from her yet, but the parts he'd heard were enough to make him furious. 

"Do you want to get some air?" Jason asked.

Elizabeth turned her head to look in the direction that Courtney and Bobbie had been taken before nodding. "Yeah."

Standing up Jason held out his hand and when she took it he worried about how cold it was. Keeping his hold gentle he pulled her from the chair and they began to walk. He nodded to Greg who was keeping watch outside of Courtney's room but he was sure that Elizabeth hadn't seen him. She didn't seem to be aware of much at the moment. She had retreated to some place in her mind she wouldn't let him follow, and he knew it was because of the guilt she was feeling.

"Jason," Sonny Corinthos stepped off of the elevator and spied his friend. "Greg just called me about Courtney, what the hell happened?"

Elizabeth tried to let go of Jason's hand and step back but he kept a firm grip on it. "We don't know anything more yet. She had her stomach pumped, and their running some tests on her because some of her organs began to shut down. Until they identify the poison there isn't a lot they can do. Her doctor is over there if you want to talk to him."

"I thought you told me that the thing with her stalker was dying down," Sonny reminded him.

"It is, Courtney hasn't gotten anything new in days now, she wasn't the target, she just got caught up by mistake," Jason shifted preparing to walk away. "I'll explain more later."

"You'll explain things now," Sonny snapped.

Elizabeth made a sound of distress and yanked her hand free. "Courtney wasn't the target, Jason was. And he was a target because of me. Courtney is here because of me. Happy?" She jeered and began to stomp off, only to hesitate by the nurse's desk, and turn around. "I'll be in the waiting area."

"I'll be right there," Jason could see the fear she was trying so hard to hide.

Nodding Elizabeth moved back to the waiting area and instead of sitting she began to pace again, making sure she kept Jason in sight the entire time.

"What did she mean by that?" Sonny asked.

"Someone is after Elizabeth, they were upset she was with me last night. So they sent me a box of chocolates supposedly from Elizabeth. The chocolates were laced with something, and Courtney ate some along with several other people," Jason explained briefly.

"Jesus," Sonny sighed. "Are you sure someone isn't after you and just using Elizabeth to do it?"

"I'm positive, some of the stuff that he's using to terrorize her with is personal. There is no way an enemy of mine would know about it. And when this started she wasn't even talking to me," Jason rubbed wearily at his eyes.

"Are you okay?" For the first time Sonny noticed Jason's pallor.

"I'm a little nauseous," he admitted reluctantly. "Don't let Elizabeth know she's panicked enough."

"Did you get your stomach pumped?"

"No, I didn't eat enough candy for that, the doctor said I'll be fine. Bobbie and Courtney are the serious ones, they ate a lot of candy."

Sonny nodded. "Did you get the whole story out of Elizabeth yet?"

"Most of it, I already had done some preliminary work on a name she wanted me to check out, I have Benny digging a little bit more. Once we leave here I'm going to listen to the messages she's been getting."

"Well this explains why she's been jumping down everybody's throat the last few days," Sonny commented.

Jason just shook his head and eyed his friend wearily. "Actually the only person's throat she's been jumping down is yours and mine and we both deserved it. I'd stay clear of Elizabeth right now, she's angry with you and she's in no shape to fight with you."

"I'd never fight with her," Sonny retorted insulted.

"You never used to do a lot of things you're doing now," Jason pointed out. "So just stay away from her."

The warning he saw in Jason's eyes stunned Sonny. "Do we really have that bad of a problem?"

"Jesus Sonny for once don't make this about you," Jason snapped angrily. "This has nothing to do with you. I will take care of Elizabeth you should go see your sister."

~*~*~*~*~

"Well if is isn't my favorite patient," a cheerful Chris Ramsey called out when he spotted Elizabeth.

Started Elizabeth whirled around, and then managed to work up a weak smile. "Hi."

"Don't tell me you hurt your arm again," Chris said.

"No some friends were brought in," she explained. "I just wish they'd tell me how they are."

Chris glanced at his watch. "I have a few minutes before I go on, why don't I check on them for you?" He offered.

"That would be great," this time the smile wasn't as hard.

"What are their names?"

"Courtney Quartermaine and Bobbie Spencer," Elizabeth volunteered.

Chris smothered a whistle when he heard the names. "I'll check on them and let you know. But since you're not family you can't really hold me to what I find out. You also can't tell anyone."  


"I won't," Elizabeth promised. 

"Then I'll be right back," Chris began to walk away. "Remember not a word to anyone."

__

Not a word

The words hit Elizabeth with an impact of a punch and she staggered and would have fallen if Jason hadn't caught her.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"He…I…" she gasped trying to bring air into her suddenly closed off lungs. "Can't… air…"

"Come on," Jason picked her up and kicked open the door to the stairwell, and moved down one flight until he was in the covered parking garage.

The cold October wind hit her face and she sucked greedily at the bitter air. Jason leaned against the wall, still holding her in his arms he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the concrete floor. He pulled on the edge of his jacket until he could work it over her shoulder, and drew her head to his shoulder. "Just breathe."

Closing her eyes she sucked in air and tried to do what he ordered. Seeking his warmth she tried to burrow even closer. She could hear the steady beat of his heart and that reassured her.

Sonny opened the stairwell door and walked out searching for them. His eyes met Jason's and Jason could see concern in the dark eyes. Jason shook his head and jerked it towards the door. Sonny nodded and disappeared back inside before Elizabeth saw him. 

With time her breathing seemed to settle until it wasn't labored anymore, but Jason kept rubbing her arm trying to soothe her. Sighing Elizabeth shifted slightly in his lap, until he wished she wouldn't do that anymore. Now was not the time for his body to realize a woman he had been crazy about for years was sitting on his lap.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"I just heard something and that made me remember the," she hesitated, "the rape."

"I saw you were talking with that doctor, is he the one who upset you?" Jason asked.

"Yeah but it wasn't his fault, it was just the words he chose. _Not a word_. An innocuous phrase except when I hear it I freak."

She shifted again and Jason had to stifle a groan.

Drawing back her eyes met his. She brought a hand up and rested it against his cheek. "I'm a wreck, I have been for days now, I can't think straight, and I'm still so very angry," she whispered, and brought her thumb down to trace his lips. "But right now, with you holding me in your arms, it feels so right. It would be so easy for you to take advantage right now," she whispered an instant before she pressed her lips to his.

Jason automatically kissed her back, his arms tightened their hold, yet he kept the pressure of his lips light, letting her set the pace. The kiss was both chaste and powerful. It was both bittersweet and passionate. And when she broke it, he felt the loss of her lips but didn't try to hold her to him.

She ran a finger over his lips again, this time brushing off the lipstick. "But you won't take advantage will you?"

"No I won't hurt you."

Smiling darkly Elizabeth pushed to her feet. "Yeah you're never the selfish one are you?" She moved to the door. "I want to check on Bobbie."

Jason got to his feet replaying the last few minutes in his mind. Somehow he had messed up again. He just didn't know what he had done wrong this time. Muttering under his breath he trailed the only woman who had the power to confuse in a minute.

****

~Studio~

"I promised to give my answering machine to Taggert in the morning," Elizabeth reminded Jason.

"And you will, I just want to hear the messages first," Jason explained. He couldn't believe that he was voluntarily letting Taggert have the same information he had. Of course he really didn't have a choice in the matter. Elizabeth had informed him that she had already given Taggert some of the details, so Taggert knew about the phone calls before he had. But it still didn't sit right with him.

They had reached the door but Elizabeth made no attempt to insert the key and unlock it. Jason knew what she was thinking about. "The doctor said both Courtney and Bobbie would make a full recovery."

"I know but their kidney's were damaged, and that's all my…"

"It's not your fault. The only person to blame is the person who laced the chocolates in the first place," he reminded her.

"I guess," shrugging she inserted the key and unlocked the door. She pulled the key out placed it in her pocket and took a few deep breaths before opening the door. Jason reached past her and hit the light switch and to her relief nothing looked different than it had been that morning.

"I just want to get my stuff and then you can take me to the hotel," energized Elizabeth moved inside the room and headed directly for her closet to get a suitcase.

Nodding Jason moved to the table. "How many messages did you have this morning?"

"Total?"

"Yeah."

"62."

"Well you have 71 now," Jason informed her.

"I don't want to hear them." Elizabeth began shoving clothes in a bag, not caring or noticing what she was grabbing.

"I need to hear them," Jason reminded her.

"Fine I'll go to the bathroom." She made it as far as the studio door before her bravado gave out.

"I can come back tomorrow and listen with Taggert," he offered.

Elizabeth couldn't help but smirk at that. "I wouldn't do that to you, go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"Just get it over with," she moved to her couch and grabbed a pillow so she would have something to maul with her hands when the messages started.

Jason hated to do it, but he pressed play anyway.

__

"I miss seeing you. Don't you know I count on seeing you?"

***

"This is unacceptable, I've been watching you for you years now. As long as I see you every few days, everything is okay. Where are you?"

***

"I love the way you walk, just like a gazelle, not at all like those sluts around you. But you're not just any slut, are you? You're my slut. You moved under me like a dream. I know you still think about me, and I think about you every night."

***

__

"I love you in maroon. It's so close to the red you were wearing that night. You don't wear red very often anymore, especially not that vivid red. The harlot, trampy red. It was the red that drew me to you, that drew me to the slut in you. But I like you in maroon too, I bet I'll like you even more out of the maroon."

__

***

__

"The last time was so fast but so good. I wonder how your body has changed since you've grown. Will your breasts still fit in the palm of my hand like they did that night? Will you still beg for my touch? Or will you pretend? I like it when you pretend that you don't want me when your eyes say you do."

***

__

"You need to stay away from Jason though. I tolerated your dalliance with Lucky but I won't with him. You're mine Elizabeth, from the minute you put on your harlot's dress you became mine. Now remember … not a word … about this to anyone."

***

"Do you really think a new lock will keep me away from you? I've been watching you for years Elizabeth. There is no place you can go, no place you can run, no lock you can hide behind that I won't find you. You belong to me."

***

"Did you have fun tonight? I did, I love hunting, and I loved hunting you. Did you know that when your terrified your body releases adrenaline and pheromones that are intoxicating to males? Your terrified scent was just that case. But you shouldn't you have run to Jason."

***

"I warned you about Jason didn't I? But you didn't listen to me. You are just a slut. I'll bet your spreading your legs for him right now. I won't have that Elizabeth. You need to be punished. You will be punished."

***

"You're wearing his clothes? What did the thug tear yours off of you? I didn't break you in to let Jason Morgan have you. You will regret this Elizabeth."

***

"I don't know how much plainer I have to be, before it sinks into that stupid brain of yours. I've told you repeatedly to stay away from Jason, yet you continually ignore me. I can't have that. You need to be taught a lesson."

***

"I only wanted to get Jason, but look how many other people I hurt, or I should say you hurt. It's all your fault. If you had just followed the rules I wouldn't have had to hurt anybody. Maybe you're the brain damaged one. I know you're with him still. You never learn do you?"

***

"I'm so disappointed in you Elizabeth I thought you cared about people. But your actions continually convince me that you don't. I'll give you one more chance. Make Jason leave, and I won't hurt anyone else. But if you stay with him, you'll regret it."

"Stop it Jason, I can't," Elizabeth jumped from the couch and raced for the door. Bypassing the bathroom she raced down the backstairs, she could hear Jason following behind her and ran even faster. She hit the door that led to the alley and threw herself against it flying out into the alley. Looking around she tried to see which way to run, and that hesitation gave Jason time to catch her.

"No," Elizabeth yelled when he took hold of her arm. Whirling around she started to hit him trying to get him to let go. 

Jason ignored her blows and pulled the struggling woman in his arms, pinning her arms to her sides, and hugging her. Elizabeth tried to yank free but his hold was too strong. Her yells had turned into tears but she hadn't realized it yet. Abruptly she went limp in his embrace and he shifted to take her weight.

"Why is he doing this to me? Hasn't he hurt me enough?" She asked in a quiet voice that he'd never heard before. 

"I don't know but I'll find him I promise you I'll find him," Jason vowed.

"But is that enough?" Suddenly aware of how tight he was holding her she tried to pull back.

"Don't."

"I can't," she tried to turn away and he tightened his hold. "Don't do this," she pleaded even as her body began to weaken. If she leaned on him now what would she do when he walked away? 

"I can't watch you in pain and not do anything about it," Jason whispered against her hair. "Lean on me, I'm not going anywhere."

Even though she was desperately afraid that he would leave her, she still couldn't stop herself from leaning on him and giving into the tears and the comfort that he was so desperate to give.

****

~A Basement~

Humming under his breath he thumbed through his latest batch of photos. He was getting very good with the camera, although he had always been good with his hands. Smiling to himself he popped a piece of candy in his mouth and picked up a pair of scissors. These photos would be perfect once he cut Jason out of them.

It was a pity that Jason hadn't gotten sick, but there was always next time. The half of the photo that he'd snapped in the hospital garage, containing Jason fell to the desk, and he picked it up.

"Jason, Jason, Jason. You won't have her for long." He vowed and began snipping at it until the photo was in shredded pieces. Pleased with himself he picked up his trash and brushed the shreds into his trash until they covered the pictures of the blonde woman that he had thrown away a few days ago.

Humming again he picked up the other half of the photo and studied the terrified expression on Elizabeth's face. She was afraid because he wasn't there with her. Once he was, she would never be afraid again. His surprise was almost ready, and once it was, he'd make his move, and Elizabeth would be his forever.

Pleased with the day's work, he pinned the latest photo of Elizabeth on a wall that was covered with pictures of her. Stepping back he admired his handiwork. Reaching down he picked up a silk nightshirt and rubbed it against the night growth of a beard on his cheek. Inhaling deeply he caught a whiff of strawberries and vanilla and he visualized Elizabeth wearing it. 

When his stomach growled he breathed in her scent one final time then carefully laid her nightgown on his chair then reached up and pulled the string on the lone light bulb in the room. The last thing he saw when before the lights went out was Elizabeth's smiling face.

"Soon Elizabeth."

****

~Port Charles Hotel~

Elizabeth's hand shook slightly as she reached for her hot chocolate. "When I got to my studio that night, after I left Jason and the others at Kelly's, he had been inside. He decorated the inside with all these balloons, streamers, hearts, signs all of them saying will you be mine, or Happy Valentines Day. The worse thing was the dress. He found one that was identical to the one I wore that night, and he laid it on my couch with a note saying he couldn't wait to see me in it and then out of it again."

Taggert's lip curled in disgust. "What did you do with it?"

"I threw it away along with all the decorations," Elizabeth admitted. "I couldn't have them in my house."

Taggert nodded and hid his disappointment. "Do you know when your trash is picked up? There's a chance it might still be there."

"I don't know," she shook her head. "I messed up again didn't I? Just like last time."

"No," Taggert was quick to reassure her. "I'll probably be able to find them at the dump."

"No you won't."

Taggert turned to the other occupant of the room, who had spoken for the first time since Elizabeth had begun her story. "What do you mean by that Morgan?"

"I was there when Elizabeth threw the bags out, they ripped open and when I saw what was inside I was curious, so I took them," Jason explained.

"Now why would you do that?" 

"Stop it," Elizabeth snapped. "I know you two hate each other, but I won't be used as a weapon between the two of you. If you can't work together then both of you get out. I need help here, I need both your help, and I can't handle your sniping."

"Elizabeth…"

"I mean it Lieutenant, you can hate Jason all you want, and go after him anyway you can, when this is over. But right now I need him," she informed him before turning to Jason. "And you, I know you hate this, but Taggert is in this, he's helped me before and I believe he can help me now."

Taggert got to his feet. "I think I have enough for now, thanks for clarifying things. I'll start checking out Timothy Baker."

Jason could feel Elizabeth's accusatory glare on him and he forced himself to speak. "Baker took a plane from JFK Airport to Port Charles about 12 days ago, he went to Pentonville, but after that it's like he's fallen off the map."

"He's in town?" Elizabeth whispered in horror.

"Maybe, that's what I was coming to tell you when the chocolates were delivered," Jason explained.

"I'll do some digging then," Taggert picked up his coat and headed for the door. "You're staying here?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

Huffing out a breath she reached past Taggert and opened the door. "Goodnight Lieutenant."

"Morgan I'll need that trash from you soon," Taggert refused to budge.

"You'll get it I know how you love trash," Jason replied.

"Children," Elizabeth muttered.

"If you think of anything else, or if you just want to talk here's my card, my home and cell number's are on the back, call anytime." Taggert handed her a card. "I'll walk you out Morgan."

"He's not leaving yet," Elizabeth piped up. "Goodnight," before he had a chance to protest she shut the door in his face and leaned wearily against it.

"Are you hungry?" Jason asked.

Turning around she shook her head.

"Are you tired?"

"A little, but I don't want to close my eyes," she admitted.

Jason moved until he was leaning against the back of a straight back chair. "Your more than welcome to stay at the penthouse. In fact I wish you would."

"No," she shook her head and moved a little closer. "There's too many memories at the penthouse," she looked around the large room. "I don't have any here, either good or bad ones, I kind of need that tonight."

Jason nodded reluctantly and didn't press. 

Elizabeth was suddenly aware how big the bed was in the room. Now that it was just her and Jason in the room, it seemed to have grown until it dominated the room. Nerves had her moving to her bag and she began to unpack it. "I have no idea what I packed I just sort of threw things inside the bag. It's a good thing I don't work tomorrow, I might only have sweats with me."

She moved to the bed and grabbed her other bag, and took two steps before dropping it, sending the clothes spilling out. Jason crouched down beside her to help pick things up. Frowning he picked up a shirt he recognized as the one she had been wearing that morning. Elizabeth darted a sheepish glance in his direction. "I couldn't find my silk nightshirt and I wanted something big and roomy, I was going to give it back to you eventually. I'll even wash it first."

"You can have it," Jason held it out to her. When she reached to take it back their hands brushed and both froze. The shirt fell from her suddenly nerveless fingers when he leaned closer. 

Angling her head she met him halfway. His hand found the curve of her cheek, it was so delicate to the touch. He ran a thumb down it and he felt her tremble. He took her mouth gently, his lips skimming over hers, learning the texture of her full lips, tasting her. All the kisses they had shared he had never taken the time to taste how truly sweet and addicting she was. It was a mistake he was determined to rectify. Her lips trembled under his and her hand fell on his thigh, her eyes went soft then the lashes fluttered closed.

Nibbling on her lips until they parted, Jason took the initiative and swept inside her mouth. Elizabeth seemed to melt into the kiss, into his arms, until they were both lying on the floor. Sweetness gone, passion emerged, the kisses grew in desperation. His mouth roved her face, learning every nuance.

The tip of his tongue touched hers, then went deeper, slowly, in such a deep kiss that it left her boneless. Her hand slipped from his shoulder to clutch at his waist, and her head fell back in surrender. His mouth moved on over the curve of her cheekbone, down the slim column of her jaw.

"Jason." 

She whispered his name and he lifted his head to look in her eyes. His fingers found their way to the smoothness of her skin again, and he ran a finger over her swollen lips. "I won't say I'm sorry."

"I don't want you too," she admitted honestly. "But I'm still mad at you," she admitted just as honestly.

"I know you are," with a reluctant sigh he shifted off of her and got to his feet.

"I'm scared," she admitted and took his hand when he held it out.

"I know that too," he helped her to her feet.

"It's not just the stalker I'm afraid of," she admitted with the honesty that used to define their relationship. "I want you Jason, and I care about you so much, but I don't want…"

"Shh," he placed a finger over her lips. "I told before I'm not going anywhere. We don't have to decide anything tonight, or next week, or even next month."

"You mean you won't run, try to push me away, or avoid me?" She challenged him. "Because you're pretty good at that." Jason's grin was lethal, one she hadn't seen before, and it took her breath away.

"I'm not going anywhere and this time I'm not going to let you push me away either," he promised and kissed her quickly before she had time to protest. "Are you sure you want to stay here alone?"

Though she may be struggling to keep her balance with this suddenly flirty Jason she had no problem answering him. "Jason what did you do when I told you I planned on staying here tonight?"

Puzzled Jason raised a brow in question.

"You excused yourself to make a phone call. If I know you, you've bought out every room on this floor that you could. You probably have a few of your men filling some of the rooms while you plan on parking yourself in the room across the hall," she grinned up at him when he looked away. "I'm right aren't I?"

Jason shrugged and opened the door. "If you need anything…"

"I'll know where to find you," giving into impulse she stepped closer and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night," Jason waited until he heard the door lock before stepping back from it. "Francis?" The door to the room next to Elizabeth's opened a second later. "Any problems?"

"Nope we're spread out through the floor. No one will get near her room without one of us knowing about it," Francis promised then cleared his throat. "Where will you be?"

Jason frowned in his general direction then turned to walk into his room across the hall from Elizabeth's. "Stay alert."

****

~General Hospital AM~

"You didn't have to come with me, I don't mind Francis," Elizabeth reminded him when they stepped on the elevator.

"I don't mind," Jason replied, even as the familiar tension he always felt inside the hospital began seeping into his bones.

Nodding Elizabeth decided to let it drop, knowing he would hate for her to make a big deal about things. She had the uncomfortable feeling that people were watching her and her eyes darted around the elevator. When she saw a man looking in her direction she instinctively shifted closer to Jason and took his hand.

Puzzled by her sudden show of nerves Jason looked around trying to see what had spooked her. The elevator doors opened and Elizabeth pressed tight against him when a man behind them moved off the car. Once the man left she stepped back and began to breathe a little easier. It was then that he realized he was now the only man on the car. Fighting the impulse to hit the wall, Jason realized that what this guy was doing to her was affecting her in a lot more ways then he'd originally thought. It was all the more reason to find the bastard and kill him.

The doors opened again and they walked out of them. Elizabeth moved up to the nurse's station. "Amy can you tell me what rooms Courtney Quartermaine and Bobbie Spencer are in?"

Nurse Amy Vining's curious eyes moved from Elizabeth's questioning face to Jason's impassive one. "Courtney is in 610 and Bobbie is 612."

"Thanks," stepping back she took Jason's hand again and ignored the look she was receiving from the blonde gossip box. 

Even before they turned the corner she could hear the raised voices of the Quartermaine's and felt Jason stiffen beside her. "You don't have to go any further."

"It's okay," Jason said.

"No really. I know you need to check in with Sonny and whoever else. I'll be just down the hall, I won't leave without you I promise," Elizabeth offered with a small smile. "Besides this is going to be awkward enough without worrying if the Quartermaine's are going to yell at you."

"Okay I'll be in the waiting room," Jason pointed to the alcove by the nurse's station. "If I'm not there when you're ready to leave, wait there for me."

"I will." She watched him walk away before taking a breath and turning the corner.

~*~*~*~*~

Feeling frazzled and drained although it had only been 45 minutes Elizabeth drug herself down the hall towards the nurse's station. She thought the Q's were difficult when they were in a good mood, but when they were in crisis mode, they were unbelievable. Edward had kept cornering her to warn her about the thug, masquerading as his Grandson, which had inspired Ned to snipe at him. Courtney had laid on the bed holding AJ's hand and looked as baffled by the fighting as she was. Escape had been a relief.

Visiting Bobbie had been easier. Lucas was there and Dr. Jones had been leaving just as she had entered, much to her relief. She still didn't remember what she had said to insult him, but judging from the icy look he had given her in passing, he remembered very well. Bobbie had been more worried about her then her own injuries, and said she would be released later in the day. Bobbie had also informed her that she could miss as much work, as she needed too, and her job would be waiting. Sometimes she wished Bobbie wouldn't be so generous in keeping her job for her. She was getting tired of waitressing. But on the other hand she knew she'd never find another job that would be so understanding of all the time off she needed.

Stepping into the alcove she half expected to find Jason sleeping but he wasn't in the room at all. Pivoting she moved back to the nurse's station. Amy was gone but a dark haired nurse had taken her place. "Excuse me I'm looking for a man who was supposed to meet me over there. His name is Jason Morgan, have you seen him?"

"The gorgeous hunk of a man that fills out his jeans in a way that should be illegal?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah that's him," Elizabeth's smile turned into a glare of warning.

"He had to a make a cell call, so he went outside," the nurse explained.

"Thanks," she turned to walk away.

"Is your name Elizabeth Webber?"

"Yes," Elizabeth turned around.

"Good I'm new here, but you matched the description. Audrey Hardy left this here for you," the nurse held out an envelope.

"Thanks," taking the envelope she wasted no time opening it. She sighed when she read the words and wondered if she was ready for this. It seemed her grandmother was requesting an audience with her. If she showed up with Jason there would be no chance at all of them having a civilized discussion. Of course there would be no chance for discussion at all if Sarah were there. Still she knew her grandmother had no doubt heard what was going on, and was probably concerned. Before she could change her mind she moved back to the nurse's station. "If Jason comes back will you tell him I'll be right back?"

"I'd love too," the nurse brightened.

"Down girl," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in warning and moved to the elevator. Scanning the note while she waited, she stepped on the elevator and reached for the floor button that was the floor her grandmother was supposed to be on, but it wasn't on the keypad. Confused she got off the elevator and moved back to the nurse.

"I'm supposed to go to LL2, but I can't find a button for it on the elevator, do you know why?"

"LL2?" The nurse looked confused then checked her cheat sheet. "Oh you can only get to that floor by using that elevator," she gestured to the right.

"Thanks." Elizabeth crossed to the elevator and was soon on her way down to LL2.

The car came to a halt and after a minute the doors opened. Frowning Elizabeth paused in the open door, the doors had opened in an area that didn't look like the rest of the hospital. Instead of brightly colored walls, the walls were gray and the hall itself was dimly lit. She heard the clang of metal coming from a distance and the sound of it reverberated along the empty hall, but other than that there was no sign of life.

Elizabeth nervously stepped out of the elevator but kept her hand on one side of the door so the doors couldn't close. "Gram?" She called out and the echo sound came again. Frowning she looked back at the elevator, and realized that the keypad was different on the outside. It looked like you needed a key to call the elevator to this floor. Unnerved even though she was trying to be brave, Elizabeth was tempted to get back on the elevator and get Jason.

She had gone so far as to take a step into the elevator when the sound of music drifted down the hall, recognizing it she grinned. _Count Basie_ was her grandmother's favorite so she had no trouble identifying the song when it reached her ears. Setting her purse on the ground, Elizabeth shrugged out of her coat and placed it on the ground so it would block the doors from closing then picked up her purse and stepped back. She hesitated long enough to check that the doors couldn't shut tight, they began to close, but when they hit her coat they opened again and that reassured her.

Rubbing her arms for warmth Elizabeth set off down the hall. She pushed through one set of swinging doors, and the music sound got louder. This hallway was dimmer than the last one had been, but there was a light visible at the end of the hall. The lighted room was also where the music was coming from.

The music cut off suddenly and she froze in her tracks, Count Basie had disappeared to be replaced by what sounded like piano and someone talking. Puzzled Elizabeth listened hard trying to make out the words as she walked. 

__

Behold the way our fine-feathered friend,

His virtue doth parade

Thou knowest not my dim-witted friend

The picture thou hast made

Feeling uneasy for no particular reason Elizabeth's steps began to slow.

__

Thy vacant brow and thy tousled hair

Conceal thy good intent

Thou noble, upright, truthful, sincere

And slightly dopey gent

By the time she reached the door the music finally changed and she cautiously stepped into the doorway the same time the music and rhythm of the song changed.

__

You're my funny valentine

Sweet comic valentine

You make me smile with my heart

A seemingly empty room greeted her. Empty except for the blood red rose that was on a table in the center of the room, along with a heart shaped box of chocolates. Gasping Elizabeth stepped back.

__

Your looks are laughable, unphotographable

Still, you're my favorite work of art

Terrified Elizabeth began to run back the way she came, she was nearing the swinging doors when the light behind her suddenly disappeared. Charging through the doors she raced for the elevator and stumbled to a stop when she saw her coat lying in front of the closed elevator doors.

__

Stay little valentine stay

Each day is Valentine's Day

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Song Credit: My Funny Valentine by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers

Want more? Then reply.


	7. Ready to run?

****

Babble of Gratitude: Wow thanks for all the nice replies for the last part, it's nice to know I do still have readers, and as your reward here is the next part. Hint Hint.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part VII

****

~General Hospital~

"Look Nikolas the only reason I'm talking to you at all is because Elizabeth wanted you included. I'm not asking for your advice, I'm informing you of things," Jason explained shortly.

"And the only reason I'm talking to you at all is because of Elizabeth," Nikolas retorted. "I didn't press her last night because she was so shaken and she wanted you there, so I backed off. But when I talked to Elizabeth this morning it was a different story. She wanted to see me so I'm here. Deal with it."

Patience was something he had developed in his work over time, but that was in his work, and this was personal, so he had a hard time trying to find his patience at the moment. Sighing Jason ignored the man walking next to him and concentrated on moving up the stairs back to the 6th floor. A quick look at his watch told him that his conversation with Benny had taken him longer than he had intended. His run in with the Cassadine Prince wasn't improving his already foul mood.

"Ignoring me isn't going to make me go away," Nikolas prodded him and didn't react when Jason turned to glare at him. "I still say Elizabeth needs to leave town."

"She doesn't want to go anywhere," Jason reminded Nikolas and opened the door that led to the lobby of the 6th floor.

"Elizabeth isn't thinking all that clearly at the moment. She's scared, she's reliving her worst nightmare, and whoever is doing this to her isn't just focusing on her. He's focusing on the people she cares about. You know how Elizabeth is, you know how guilty she is feeling at the moment. She needs to get away," Nikolas hesitated, swallowing his distaste he went on. "If you tell her she should leave, I think she'll listen to you."

Surprised Jason turned to look at him. 

"She listens to you, and even though she's mad at you, I still think she'll listen," Nikolas said in a rush.

"That must have been hard for you to say," Jason commented.

"You have no idea," Nikolas moved past Jason into the alcove. "Will you suggest it to her?"

"It's her life, if she wants to stay it's her decision," Jason sighed. "I'm not going to tell her she has to leave."

"Jesus how does she stand you?" Nikolas shot back. "Don't you think your taking this live your own life philosophy a bit too far? Some deranged man is obsessed with Elizabeth, I tell you that you may be the only person who can convince her to leave to protect herself, and you answer me with some sort of evasion. I never liked you, but you had managed to convince me that you cared for her, apparently I was wrong."

"I'm not going to tell her what to do," Jason snapped.

"Fine then if the next box of chocolates finds it's way into her hands it's your problem," Nikolas informed him coldly and stepped closer when Jason turned on him. "You don't like that thought do you?"

Pounding on Nikolas no matter how much of short-term release it would provide him, was not worth it in the long run. Elizabeth would no doubt be very angry with him if he put Nikolas in the hospital, so Jason turned away and headed down the hall that led to Elizabeth.

"Woo hoo, Jason," a dark haired nurse darted out from behind the nurse's station and intercepted him. "Jason Morgan right?"

"Yes," Jason nodded.

"If your looking for Elizabeth Webber she's not there anymore," the nurse chirped and was unprepared for the cold look that came into Jason's eyes.

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Jason demanded stepping closer.

"I-I…"

"Back off Jason you're scaring her," Nikolas stepped up beside Jason and smiled charmingly at the nurse. "Do you know where Elizabeth is? It's important that we find her."

"I gave her a note from Audrey Hardy and she went to meet her, she wanted me to tell Jason that she'd be right back," the nurse kept her focus on the dark-eyed man. He was cute as well and not nearly as scary as the man in the leather jacket.

"How long ago was that?" Jason asked sharply.

Glaring at Jason Nikolas reached out and took the nurse by the arm and led her away from a volatile Jason when she jolted. "Don't mind him, he's better at breaking things, than he is at talking to people. All brawn, no brain," Nikolas glared at Jason in warning before turning his focus on the nurse again. "Now do you know about how long ago she left?"

"Maybe twenty minutes." The farther away she got from the glaring man in the leather jacket the easier she breathed.

"Thanks," Nikolas smiled at her again.

"Audrey Hardy didn't work today," Jason informed Nikolas quietly.

Nikolas nodded and his teasing expression vanished from his face. "Do you happen to know where Elizabeth was meeting Mrs. Hardy?"

"That's what strange," the nurse commented before moving back behind the desk.

Jason tried to smother a groan but failed, and Nikolas glared at him again. "What's strange?"

"She asked me how she could get to LL2 and I told her that she could only get there using that elevator," the nurse gestured. "But then I looked at my chart, and I saw that the only thing on LL2 is the morgue, who would want to meet in the morgue?" Desperate for details the nurse leaned closer.

Moving for the elevator Jason reached for his phone.

"You can't use that in here," the nurse called after him.

Jason hesitated then put the phone in his pocket, he hit the button before turning on the nurse. "Call the police, ask for a Lt. Taggert, and tell him that the stalker has Elizabeth in the morgue."

"Stalker," the nurse's eyes grew wide.

"Just do it," Jason bellowed.

"You're willingly calling the police?" Nikolas couldn't help but question.

Jason didn't bother to explain that the police station was closer than any of his people were, so he was relying on Taggert, nor did he bother to answer Nikolas at all. He just hit the button again.

****

~Morgue~

For a minute all Elizabeth could do was stare at her coat in surprise. Comprehension was slow in coming, but the sound drifting to her from the hall she just left spurred her into moving. Turning away from the elevator she ran through a set of swinging doors in the opposite direction. Even as she ran the sounds of muted music followed her, and she knew it wasn't the only thing that was following her.

Doors lined the darkened hall and she wasted no time in crossing to one of them, finding it locked, she moved on to the next, but it was locked. Breathing hard Elizabeth quickly darted back and forth across the hall, trying door after door, but all of them were locked. She soon found herself at the end of the hall and in front of another swinging set of doors. She put her hand on the door and risked a look over her shoulder back down the hall, so far no one had entered the hall. Relieved she turned back to the door and her hand slipped from it when she read the sign on the door. _Morgue: No Unaccompanied Visitors Beyond This Point._

"Oh god," she whispered, taking a deep breath she made herself walk through the doors.

The room was darker than the hall, but there was still enough light that she could see stainless steel reflected back at her. She knew from television that the handles, on the little doors against the wall were for individual freezers. And each little freezer held a body waiting for an autopsy.

The faint sound of a swinging door reached her ear and she realized that her stalker had entered the hall behind her. Forcing her eye from the freezers she raced to the door of an office on the left but the door was locked. She grabbed for the phone on the wall, but didn't get a dial tone. The door next to the office opened relieved she started to enter it before realizing that it was a closet, and worse it had no lock at all. Backing out of the closet, she closed it quietly and turned around.

A door on the far side of the room caught her attention and she raced for it the same time she heard someone call her name. She pushed through the door and tried to stop, but her boots slipped on the cold floor and off-balanced she slid farther into the room until she hit a gurney. It took everything she had not to scream when a hand slipped out from under the sheet that was covering the gurney.

Terrified eyes swept the room, and to her horror she saw several bodies in the room, thankfully all were covered by sheets, but it was still a lot to handle. Covering her mouth when her stomach began to revolt she tried to even her breathing. The cold in the room made her look like a chain smoker, as her frozen breath escaped in quick little gasps.

Wrenching her eyes from the bodies she looked for another way out of the cold room. A door on the far side caught her attention and she raced to it. Yanking it open, it led to another hall, relieved she ran down the hall and the only door that was in it. She hit the bar on the door with all her weight, but it didn't budge. Frantic she stepped back and hit it again, and still the door refused to budge. Her eye fell on a lock box to the left of the door and the keypad there, the keypad that was keeping her locked in the morgue.

Adrenaline was fading and fear was rapidly taking its place. The hall was a dead end in more ways than one. The only other door was the one to the freezer that she'd just left, the freezer with all the bodies in it. She didn't want to go back into that room, but if she stayed where she was he would catch her.

Tears slipped from her eyes, and she absently dashed them away. Taking a deep breath she moved back down the hall as quickly as she could make herself. She had to be hidden inside the room before he entered it, or it would be pointless going inside at all. Standing on her tiptoes she peered through the small frost covered window and tried to search the waiting freezer. The frost and darkness made it impossible for her to see anything so finally she just had to open the door.

Elizabeth pushed the door open cautiously, trying to look in every direction at once, when she was reassured that no one was in the room besides the bodies she finally moved inside of it. Looking around she tried to find someplace she could hide. Her breath was frigid air but she didn't feel the cold. She felt sick to her stomach when she realized where she was going to have to hide.

The tears that fell froze to her cheeks, but again she didn't feel it. Without realizing it she had made her way to the gurney that was nearest to the door to the autopsy room. Her hand shook when she reached out for the sheet, and she quickly lowered it. The light was switched on in the other room, and filtered through the small window and she knew she was running out of time. Swallowing her distaste she picked up the hand and placed it back on the gurney, then pushed the gurney until it was against the wall. She pulled on the sheet, until enough of it was off the body that it hid the bottom of the gurney. Being careful to make sure the body was still covered, Elizabeth worked her way under the sheet, and straddled the metal bars that led to the wheels of the gurney. 

Ignoring the body that was lying above her and the awkwardness of her position Elizabeth kept her eyes trained on the door and began to pray. She had barely finished her first when the door opened. Holding her breath she watched his feet step over the threshold of the door, then pause there while he looked around. Finally he took another step inside the room and let the door swing closed behind him.

Now they were the only live people in a room of death.

****

~*~*~*~*~

"What?" Nikolas asked when Jason stopped immediately after getting off the elevator.

"Its Elizabeth's coat," Jason held it up for an instant before dropping it on the ground. 

"Which way?" Nikolas asked and pointedly ignored the gun that had magically appeared in Jason's hand.

Jason looked both ways, before turning to the right, where the light and music was coming from. Not waiting to see if Nikolas agreed he moved quickly for the door.

Nikolas took one look at the other direction then decided to follow the man with the gun. His hesitation brief though it was, was enough that Jason was halfway down the hall by the time Nikolas entered the hall. Putting on speed he caught up in time for Jason to glare at him in warning. Jason hesitated at the only open door, the one with light and music spilling out of it. Firming his grip on the gun he crouched and turned into the doorway.

"Elizabeth?" Nikolas called when he stepped up behind Jason.

"She isn't here," Jason moved into room and he picked up one of the roses from the table, and crushed the delicate bud in his hand.

"We need to check the other hall," Nikolas decided.

~*~*~*~*~

Elizabeth's lungs were burning but she was scared to take a breath. If there was the slightest chance he could hear her, or would see her breath she couldn't risk it. His feet had moved out of her visual range but she could still hear him moving around the freezer. She hadn't figured out what she would do if he found her. There were no weapons that she could see anywhere that she could use. Her hands seemed to be frozen on the bars of the gurney and she was uncertain she could grip a weapon in her frozen hands if she did find one. He needed to leave the room. As soon as he did she was going to make a run for it, but so far he hadn't left the freezer. 

"Elizabeth."

Numbness kept her from reacting to the sound of her name.

"Are you playing again? I told you how much I loved to hunt."

Closing her eyes she tried to block the sound of his voice, but almost immediately forced them open again. She couldn't hide, she needed to keep an eye out for him.

Humming filled the freezer.

Desperate Elizabeth sucked in a breath then froze when the humming stopped.

"El-iza-beth," came the call again.

Finally she heard the sound she had been waiting for. The sound of the door on the far side opening. She began to move only to freeze. What if he hadn't left at all? What if he was still in the room just waiting to see if she showed herself? Indecision wracked her, but ultimately she had no choice. If she stayed in this room he would find her. If he had left the room, he would soon return, once he found out there was no way she could have gotten through the door at the end of the hall. Scrambling out from under the gurney the sheet slipped off the body and almost tripped her, but she ignored both the sheet and the body and hurried out of the freezer.

She was halfway across the lighted room when she remembered the elevator, and the fact that there was no way for her to escape on it, unless she had a key. The phone was dead. She had no idea what was at the other end of the hall, except for that room that he had wanted her in, in the first place. Who was to say she could find a way out that way? 

All the thoughts raced through her brain in a span of seconds. If she could hide someplace someone who worked in the morgue would be here soon. Jason would be looking for her, he probably already was, she just needed to find someplace to hide. Turning in circle she desperately looked for someplace to hide.

~*~*~*~*~

"She wouldn't be in here would she?" Nikolas asked when he saw the sign for the morgue. "God I hope not."

"If she's not in here that means he has her," Jason pointed out and pushed open the door to the autopsy room. He was relying on his memories of being in the morgue when Dr. Dorman had been murdered to familiarize him with the layout of the place. But he could already tell there had been a lot of changes made. The gym that Carly used to work in was no longer on the floor, and the morgue had been enlarged.

His eyes swept the autopsy room but it was empty. Habit had him checking the small office door but it was locked.

"The phone's off the hook, do you think she tried to call?" Nikolas asked.

Shrugging Jason picked up the handle and hit the cradle button, but didn't hear a dial tone. "If she tried it didn't help," he slowly hung up the phone.

"What's through there?" Nikolas pointed to a door.

"Probably the freezer," Jason moved for the door.

Swallowing his distaste Nikolas followed. Jason moved inside the freezer and Nikolas slowly moved after him. "God," he hissed when he saw the body of a naked man immediately to his right.

"He shouldn't be uncovered," Jason commented.

"I don't even want to know why you know that," Nikolas murmured. 

They both looked up when the door on the far side was pushed open. Nikolas had the brief image of a figure in the doorway before he turned around and ran. Jason immediately began to run after him, his foot slipped on the iced floor and Jason went crashing to the ground.

Moving past him Nikolas raced after the fleeing figure, barely managing to keep his balance he crashed hard into the door, before opening it. He ran out into the hall and turned just in time to see someone run through door at the end of the hall. Racing down the hall he tried to catch the door before it closed all the way but couldn't. He pushed on the bar but the door wouldn't open.

"Did he get away?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Nikolas hit the lockbox in frustration. "You need a code to open the door."

"Was anyone with him?"

"I don't think so," Nikolas shrugged. "It was so quick, I didn't even get a look at him, all I saw was his clothes, and they were black."

"Damn'it," Jason turned around and stalked back through the freezer, and stormed into the autopsy room.

"What now?" Nikolas asked when he got in the room.

"I don't know," frustration had Jason flipping over a tray of instruments.

The more upset Jason got, the more worried Nikolas became.

"Do you think he has her?"

Ignoring the question Jason forced himself to move.

"Where are you going?" Nikolas caught his arm and Jason turned on him fist raised. "You going to hit me now?"

"Just be quiet," Jason hissed and lowered his fist.

"No," Nikolas shot back.

Forcing himself to walk away was hard but Jason tried to do that. Of course Nikolas was too stupid to let him go. Nikolas reached out to stop him again and Jason merely reacted. Turning he shoved Nikolas away as hard as he could until he crashed into the freezers on the back wall.

Furious Nikolas staggered towards Jason. But Jason held up a hand to ward him off. 

"What the hell…"

"Be quiet," Jason ordered and moved past an infuriated Nikolas to freezers. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Irritated and angry Nikolas turned as well.

"When you hit the freezer it sounded like someone screamed," Jason reached out and began opening the freezer doors.

"Jason the freezers are for dead people," Nikolas reminded him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Lieutenant Taggert entered the autopsy room followed by some of his officers.

Ignoring him Jason kept opening the doors.

"Jason's listening to dead people, and Elizabeth is missing," Nikolas explained shortly.

Jason had no problem tuning Nikolas and Taggert out, he knew what he'd heard when Nikolas hit the freezers. Reaching out he opened the next freezer and his heart stopped. "Elizabeth," he managed to whisper her name when he saw her lying immobile on the empty tray. His hand shook when he reached out for her. He was vaguely aware of the noise behind him, but his focus remained on the woman that he'd just discovered he loved.

When his hand brushed her hair Elizabeth flinched and jerked away, and he took his first easy breath in minutes. "It's okay, you're okay," Jason reassured her, reaching inside the small freezer he pulled the tray and her out.

"J-jason." Her teeth were chattering so hard it was difficult for her to speak, and she wondered if she could trust her eyes.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, he held up a hand to stop Nikolas and the others. "It's me, you're safe now." He slowly reached out and brought his hand up to her frozen cheek. Elizabeth's hand was shaking but she brought it up until she covered his hand with hers.

"Y-you … here," shivering she held out her arms, and Jason quickly moved closer and picked her up. 

Relief and forgotten prayers, coursed through him when he took her shivering form in his arms. "You're safe. I got you and you're safe now."

****

~Penthouse~

"Elizabeth already told you everything she knows, there's no point in you hanging around here to question her again."

Amused in spite of the situation, because of Jason's obvious displeasure, Taggert merely smiled at him and settled himself more comfortably on the couch. "I'll wait."

As much as he liked the idea of Taggert making Jason uncomfortable, Nikolas was more concerned with Elizabeth. "I agree with Jason, Elizabeth told you everything. She never saw his face, all she saw were black sneakers. I don't think she needs to be upset anymore."

"I'm not going to upset her," Taggert informed him coldly.

Jason just shook his head. "Why don't you do something useful and talk to the nurse who gave Elizabeth the fake message from her grandmother."

The idea of leaving Elizabeth alone with two men he despised was unconscionable to Taggert, but unfortunately that was what he was going to have to do. Elizabeth had barely let go of Jason since he'd pulled her out of the freezer. He'd only gotten the story out of her, because of Jason's presence by her side. As much as he wanted to hate Jason, he couldn't fault him for his support of Elizabeth. He was going to have to correct her misguided support of Jason, but he'd wait to do that for another time. The last thing Elizabeth needed was for him to start questioning Jason in front of her, so he'd bide his time, no matter how much he hated it.

"Look Taggert, you saw how upset she was, if she comes downstairs and sees you still here she's going to get upset again," Nikolas prodded. "There's nothing else you can do here, none of us saw his face. We can't even give you a guess on his height. There's nothing else here for you."

Taggert got reluctantly to his feet. "I'll check at the hospital and get back to her," he paused beside Jason. "She better be here when I get back."

Jason ignored the warning.

"I mean it Morgan."

"Enough Taggert," Nikolas snapped.

"Shut up Nikolas, no bag full of cash will help Elizabeth so I don't know why you're even here," Taggert retorted.

Nikolas felt the dart hit home and ignored it. His relationship with Gia's brother was never going to be better than antagonistic, and he knew that. He had gotten out of control when it came to Taggert over the summer, and now he was paying for it, he accepted that.

Jason was curious by Taggert's remarks but didn't show it. It seemed he wasn't the only person that Taggert couldn't stand.

"I'll be back," Taggert reminded them both then stalked out of the penthouse.

"There's no point in you staying either," Jason looked at Nikolas.

"I have a very good reason to be here. She's upstairs in the shower," Nikolas reminded him.

"You heard her yourself she's tired, give her some space."

"I'll leave if you talk to her about leaving town," Nikolas offered. "He got too close to her today, she needs to leave town."

"Don't start that again," Jason responded.

"You can't be serious," Nikolas cried. "I would think that you of everybody would be more concerned about her well-being then telling her what to do. Or do you only reserve your concern for Sonny and everyone else is on their own?"

"Don't push me," Jason warned him.

"You know she would be safer out of town. And you know that she would listen to you over everybody else. Do the right thing by her for a change and get her someplace safe."

"I will protect Elizabeth and I will find out who is doing this to her," Jason countered.

Nikolas eyes narrowed in speculation. "Do you know who is doing this?"

Jason sighed wearily and moved to the door. "Leave."

"You have an idea. Tell me who."

"Fine," Jason turned around. "Spoke to your brother lately?"

"No," Nikolas shook his head immediately. "Lucky wouldn't do this to Elizabeth. Besides he's out of the country."

"How do you know that?"

"I talked to him."

"You called the clinic and they got him on the phone for you? Or did you call the clinic, leave a message and he called you back eventually?" Jason questioned.

Nikolas shifted on his feet and he had his answer.

"You can't say for sure that Lucky is there, I know my people haven't seen him there," Jason continued.

"You sent people there?" Nikolas repeated. "You don't trust anybody do you?"

"When it comes to Elizabeth, I'm not taking any chances," Jason explained.

"I'm surprised you're not investigating me," Nikolas griped then studied Jason. "You are aren't you?"

"Since you were with me when someone was chasing her through the morgue, your off my short list," Jason answered coolly and opened the door. "Now leave."

Nikolas was quiet when he moved into the hall, ignoring the guard he turned back to Jason. "You don't really think its Lucky do you?"

Jason didn't answer he just brought his hand up to his throat, then closed the door.

The action was enough for Nikolas to remember the time Lucky had attacked Jason with a knife. Sighing heavily he turned and moved to the elevator. It was time to prove Lucky was out of the country, if not he needed to find him before Jason did, or before Lucky did something crazy.

~*~*~*~*~

"You think its Lucky?" Elizabeth asked from the stairs.

Wincing slightly at the tone in her voice Jason turned around and shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not crossing anybody off my list yet."

Sighing Elizabeth rubbed her arms and moved to the couch. 

"I know you don't want that to be the case," Jason joined her.

"Right now I wouldn't mind, because then at least I would know who is doing this to me," she admitted quietly. "But five minutes from now, I won't want it to be him. Don't tell Nikolas."

"I won't." Picking up an afghan from the chair he wrapped it around her form when she shivered. "Would you rather be upstairs in bed?"

"Too quiet," she whispered and pulled the blanket closer.

Jason watched her eyes flicker and settle more deeply against the cushions. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Elizabeth nodded and closed her eyes. Adrenaline and fear had long since disappeared leaving her hollow and numb. Even after her showers, three, for good measure, she still shivered, every time she thought of the morgue.

"You're safe," Jason whispered and brushed the hair from her face.

"For how long?" Elizabeth asked and forced her eyes open.

"Say the word and we'll leave tonight," Jason offered and hoped she would take him up on it.

"It won't matter," her eyelids drifted down. "I can't run away from him, because he's always there. He's there every time I close my eyes."

Jason sighed but said nothing, and stroked her cheek until her breathing evened out and she slid into sleep. For her sake he hoped it was a dreamless sleep. But judging from her words it probably wouldn't be. His phone vibrated against his hip and he pulled it out. "Morgan." He paused to listen then checked his watch. "Set it up for tonight, I'll be there."

He picked the pill bottle off the table and read the instructions. He had about 6 hours before the pills wore off and she might wake up. He hated to leave her, but there was something he had to do, tonight. Standing he made sure the blankets were tight around her then kissed her forehead, and frowned when he found it still cold. When Elizabeth didn't stir he reluctantly stepped away from her and picked up his coat.

Francis turned around when the door opened behind him, and was surprised when Jason walked out closing the door. "What's going on?"

"I need to be somewhere," Jason explained. "You don't leave this door, I don't care if it's an earthquake you do not leave this door. If she wakes up before I get back, let her know I'll be here soon. If she wants Nikolas to come over that's fine, anyone else, you're in the room with them." 

Francis nodded at his boss. "Are you sure you should leave? She looked pretty shaky. I don't want to overstep but if this is about work," he hesitated. "Can I handle it instead?"

"It's not work, I wouldn't leave her for that," Jason pressed the elevator call button. "It's about who is doing this to her."

The elevator doors opened but Jason hesitated in front of them. "I'm trusting you with her. Don't let me down."

"I won't," Francis promised.

Jason had no choice but to take the word of the man who had once trained him and reluctantly moved onto the elevator.

~*~*~*~*~

"Jason!" Elizabeth shot up from the couch in terror. Her feet got caught in the blankets and she staggered from the couch almost falling. "Jason."

Francis opened the door, startled Elizabeth screamed and stepped back. Seeing the room was empty except for the obviously terrified Elizabeth Francis shouldered his gun and stopped where he was. Holding his now empty hands out where she could see him he answered her. "Jason's not here right now."

"He left?" Confused Elizabeth looked around the room and when Francis took a step she backed up.

"He had too, he said he'd be right back," Francis replied.

"Gone?" The thought reverberated around her mind. He wasn't supposed to be gone, he was supposed to be here. He had promised her he would be here, but he was gone.

"Do you want me to call someone?" Francis asked.

"No," she shook her head and forced herself to move. "I'm going upstairs," she announced and ran up them as fast as she could. Not stopping until she was inside the spare bedroom. Out of breath she leaned against the closed door, for a minute before locking it, then moved towards the bed. Jason had brought her clothes over from the hotel. She wasn't going to try to prove a point by staying there again.

Her eye caught her reflection in the mirror and changing direction she moved to the dresser and the mirror over it. Desperate and almost unrecognizable eyes stared back at her, surprising her enough that she brought her hand up to touch her the cool glass of her reflection. If this was what she looked like it was no wonder Jason had left. Jolting at the thought Elizabeth turned away from her reflection and moved to the bed. Jason hadn't left for good, he would be back soon. But why had he left at all?

"Sonny," she whispered hoarsely and a very small part of her began to get angry. Even now, with everything she was going through his loyalty was still to Sonny. Collapsing on the bed she buried her head into the pillow. Sonny would always come first to Jason, she had to realize that. Once she did, she wouldn't get hurt like this anymore.

Unable to cry she turned on her side and curled into a ball. Jason would still help her that was going to have to be enough. She would just have to be very careful not to open herself up to Jason anymore. She would let him help her with the stalker, but other than that, nothing. That meant no personal conversations, no more hugs, just conversations about who was doing this to her.

The vows sounded hollow to her, and she knew it would be difficult for her to keep them, but she had to try. She could be destroyed in more than one way if she wasn't careful. Jason had the power to do that if she didn't take steps to protect herself.

Depressed and unsure Elizabeth closed her eyes. In spite of what she just promised herself she still wanted Jason here at this moment, she wanted his arms around her. She wanted him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right.

As if in answer to her prayers the bed depressed behind her with Jason's weight and he shifted until his arm was draped over her waist.

"Elizabeth."

Her eyes flew open when she heard the voice. It wasn't Jason holding her. Her scream was muffled when his hand covered her mouth instead.

****

~Pentonville~

Tom Baker continued his stretching even after the call of lights out, reverberated down the hall. On cue the overhead lights controlled by the guards went off, leaving the small lamp on the table by his bed as the only light in the narrow cell. Having the access to money had afforded him some privileges with the guards, one of which was the fact his cell was the last on the block, so he always had an additional 10 minutes before any guard reached him to make him shut off his light.

Stretching to the sky he was caught off guard when the bulb in his lamp suddenly exploded plunging the room into dimness. Confused Baker turned around to look and saw the silhouette of a man standing on the other side of the bars.

"You're going to replace that bulb," Tom informed him. Another benefit of having money was in having the prison's worst badasses as his personal bodyguard. In the near five years he'd been here, he'd never had a problem because of the badasses, so he felt no fear.

"I was going to wait to do this. I was going to let you serve your time and then meet up with you once you got out."

Tom was puzzled by the reply and stepped a little closer. The sight of blue jeans, and the familiar blue prison shirt, confirmed to him that it wasn't a guard, so his momentary concern vanished. "Go away."

"You see what I had planned for you was going to take a long time, and I didn't want to have to rush it during guard changes in prison. Besides I thought prison would be a real eye-opener for you."

Ignoring the man Tom crawled onto his bunk and closed his eyes.

"But you changed that, and now I'm going to have to take care of you sooner than I planned."

"You won't lay a finger on me. What are you? Fresh meat? You even breath in my direction and my boys will rip you open," Tom jeered.

"You're boys?" The man repeated. "You mean Vernon Aisles, and Joe DeMarco? I hate to break it to you but they're not your boys anymore."

For the first time Tom began to get a little concerned and sat up. "Who are you?"

"Jason Morgan," he shifted closer until his face was visible in the faint light.

Tom's mouth dropped open in surprise. Ever since he'd discovered who Emily Quartermaine's brother was, he had been expecting a visit from the famous Jason Morgan. But as the years passed and nothing had happened he has almost forgotten about Morgan entirely. He was beginning to feel panicked, but then realized that Jason was in prison clothes and was on the other side of the bars. That meant he couldn't get near him.

"You blackmailed and terrorized my sister. I was going to have you killed when I found out about that, but Emily convinced me not too. She wanted to send you to jail instead, so I agreed," Jason gripped the bars. "I knew you'd have to get out eventually and then I would deal with you."

"Deal with me? Look around you, you're in prison now, I don't think you'll deal with me."

"Do you really think I can't get to you in prison?" Jason asked. "On Tuesdays and Thursdays you work in the library. On Mondays and Friday you work on the prison newspaper, and on Wednesdays you work in the shop. You also have a nice sideline providing naked pictures, of either sex, to the prisoners, for money. You buy fifteen cartons of Marlboro a week and use them to make bribes, insuring your place in the food lines. You also pay Aisles and DeMarco $500 a week plus six cartons of cigarettes each to keep the sisters and the rest of the prisoners out of your face."

Tom swallowed hard at Jason's recitation of the facts.

"I was going to let you slide. I decided to let you think I wasn't going to do anything to you then come down on you when you got out. But not anymore. Now you're going to pay for what you did to Emily and for what you did to Elizabeth," Jason promised.

"Elizabeth?" Tom sputtered. "You mean the bitch from the park? You know her?"

Jason closed his eyes briefly. "I know her. She's the reason I'm here to talk to you."

"I never kiss and tell." Snorting with humor Tom laid back down on the narrow cot. "Now get lost. You can't get to me, all you're doing is ruining my sleep time. So go back to your own cell before I call a guard."

"You really have a lot to learn," Jason replied coldly and gave a soft whistle.

Confused by the whistle Tom opened his eyes and watched in horror as the door on his cell opened and Jason Morgan entered his cell.

"It's time I teach you," Jason moved for the cot.


	8. A big mistake

And here comes some more, please let me know if you want the next part.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~~

****

Quagmire

Part VIII

****

~Penthouse~

Frozen in disbelief for a minute all Elizabeth could do was lie there. This couldn't be happening. She was supposed to be safe here, so none of this could be real, it had to be a dream. But the breath on her face, the pressure on her body when he pressed his into hers felt real, the hand he had over her mouth, was cutting off her air, so it had to be real.

His hand was on her hip and she felt it move its way up her body, revulsion triggered her fight instinct and she began to struggle. But the harder she fought the stronger his grip became. His leg was over hers pinning her to the bed, his body was pressed so tight against her it was difficult to move her arms, her struggles soon proved futile yet she still fought. He wasn't going to win this time. Not this time.

Twisting her head she managed to change his hold on her until she could open her mouth. Elizabeth wasted no time in closing her teeth around the fleshy skin of his fingers. Her attacker groaned and slapped her hard across the face. Dazed her struggles stopped for an instant, mouth free she was able to speak. "No. Don't touch me."

"Elizabeth," he whispered her name. "You know you want me."

"Not again, please not again," she begged.

"You belong to me Elizabeth now," he caressed her jaw, "and forever."

"No," Elizabeth yelled trying to break free of his hold.

"Elizabeth."

"No, don't touch me." Elizabeth woke with a start, still caught between reality and the dream world she simply reacted when she registered that a man was sitting beside her on the couch, holding her shoulders. 

Flailing wildly with her hands she knocked his hands away and shoved him back as hard as she could. Desperate to get away she kicked out and caught him on his side. She kept moving until she backed over the arm of the couch and crashed hard to the floor. The instinct to run was still upon her and she tried to rise, but couldn't because of the afghan that had wormed itself around her legs.

"Elizabeth?" Sonny Corinthos spoke her name cautiously and moved closer to the obviously terrified girl on the floor.

"No," Elizabeth cried and tried to untangle the blanket.

"Sonny stay back you're going to spook her even more." Carly moved to the other side of the couch and came up beside Elizabeth. "Are you doing okay now?"

The feminine voice penetrated the fog she was in and Elizabeth shifted her focus from the blanket to the blonde beside her. "Carly?"

"That's right," Carly confirmed relieved to see recognition in Elizabeth's eyes. "You took a spill off the couch. Are you okay?"

Confused Elizabeth looked around, and belatedly recognized the living room. It had been a dream after all. Her attacker wasn't here. He hadn't pinned her to the bed in her room. She hadn't been fighting with him at all, but her hand still throbbed, why was that?

"Let me help you up," Carly reached out but Elizabeth hissed and jerked away. Recognizing the signs Carly backed off. "Okay you do it."

Embarrassed at her overreaction Elizabeth averted her eyes and freed her legs from the confining afghan, then made her way to her feet.

"Are you okay Elizabeth?" Sonny asked.

Focusing on him when he spoke Elizabeth realized that he was the reason her hand was hurting. "I hit you didn't I?"

"It's okay," Sonny dismissed her concern.

Shaking her hand out Elizabeth ignored his words. "Jason's not here, at least I don't think he is, or maybe that's just a dream too."

"He's out," Carly confirmed.

"Of course he is," Elizabeth whispered.

"Are you doing okay? Jason told me what happened to you," Sonny asked in concern.

She had lost it in front of two people she couldn't afford to lose control with. That wasn't good. She needed to stay in control.

"Elizabeth?" Concerned by her expression Sonny reached out to her.

Feeling his hand on her arm she jumped back from him and almost crashed into the fireplace. 

Sonny held up his hand. "I'm sorry I startled you."

"You didn't," Elizabeth shook her head. "Jason's not here. But you already knew that right? After all he's probably doing something for you, like always."

Sonny's unease was growing by the second. From the moment he'd entered the penthouse and heard Elizabeth's nightmare, to her increasing agitation and refusal to look at him, Sonny was growing more and more concerned for his friend. Judging from Carly's unusual silence so was she.

"Why don't you sit down? Jason should be here soon, you can rest until he does," Sonny pointed to the couch.

Her hands were shaking and Elizabeth hated that. The dregs of the nightmare along with the sedative she'd been given were making her head foggy. She felt unsure, scared and the only thing she could do was lash out. "You almost sound like you care."

"I do care."

Elizabeth laughed, startling all three of them. Sonny reached out again and she batted his hand away. "Since when?"

"You're my friend Elizabeth, you went through something awful today," Sonny spoke slowly and kept his voice even trying to calm her.

"Wrong," Elizabeth snapped angrily. "We were never friends. I was a convenient tool for you when Jason refused to speak with you, that's all."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is, I was a tool, nothing more and when my usefulness dried up you couldn't get away fast enough. I became one of the bodies that you stepped all over to get what you wanted," she informed him snidely. Moving carefully around Carly she began backing to the stairs.

"I know you're angry with me," Sonny started.

"Wrong again, I don't care about you." Elizabeth backed into the pool table and let out a shriek. Mortified she bowed her head and whispered. "Jason's not here."

"I know," Carly answered softly.

"I'll go upstairs, you can wait for him here. You don't have to leave, I'll leave. I'll stay in my room," her mind was racing so fast it was hard for her to finish a thought but one idea refused to die. "I won't come out while you're here, so you don't have to make him leave to talk. I won't come out," she promised.

Confused Sonny stared at his wife.

"Jason won't leave," Carly promised. "When he comes back Sonny will talk to him here, he won't leave you alone again."

"I can be alone," Elizabeth flared briefly, before bowing her head again. "It's just," she twisted her hands trying to come up with an excuse.

"It's his house, he shouldn't have to leave it," Sonny offered.

The sound of his voice triggered Elizabeth's anger again and her head flew up. "That never stopped him before. Whenever you needed him too, he walked out the door and never looked back."

Taken aback by her quickly changing mood Sonny decided to agree with her and keep his mouth shut. So he simply nodded.

The phone chose that minute to ring and Elizabeth jumped again. Anger gone, she stared at the phone. "I won't come out of my room, so you don't have to make him leave," she whispered then turned around and ran up the stairs.

"Jesus what the hell was that?" Sonny demanded as soon as Elizabeth disappeared from sight.

"Nothing you would understand," Carly murmured.

"What?" Sonny snapped at her then headed for the phone, but it stopped ringing before he could answer it. "Jason told me about the morgue, but this seemed more than that. Her nightmare, the things she was saying, something else is going on."

"Leave it alone Sonny," Carly turned on her husband. 

"Why?"

"I know this is going to be hard for you to do, but I need you to try. Find Jason and get him here, now," Carly ordered. "Try to remember when you were his friend, and her friend, and get him here."

"Why is everyone insulting me lately?" Sonny demanded. But Carly ignored him and moved up the stairs after Elizabeth. "I know how to be a friend," he continued on. "Jason is my best friend he has been for years," he reminded the empty room.

Disgusted with himself when he realized what he was doing Sonny stalked to the door and opened it. "Where the hell is Jason?"

"He had something to take care of," Francis answered.

"Where?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"Find him," Sonny ordered. "Get him here now."

"I'll try his cell," Francis pulled out his cell and hit a memory button. "It says he's out of the service area," he announced after a minute.

Frowning Sonny paced away then back again. "Find Benny, see if he knows where Jason is. Then find Jason and bring him back here."

Francis nodded and opened his phone again.

"What are you doing? I told you to find Benny, not call him." Sonny reminded him sharply.

Although this had been a moment he'd been dreading, now that it had finally arrived he had no more concerns. "Jason ordered me to stay with Elizabeth no matter what. I'll call Benny, and then Manny, and have him track Jason down."

"I'll be here with Elizabeth," Sonny reminded him. "It's okay for you to go," 

"I'm not leaving her," Francis kept his eyes trained on his boss.

Stunned Sonny stared at him in disbelief. Francis was disobeying a direct order, in favor of one of Jason's orders. When had he lost control over his own people? And why?

"I'll find Jason for her, but I'm not leaving my post." Francis gave a passing thought to the fact he might have just signed his own death certificate. Sonny hadn't been acting like himself for months now, so there was no telling what he might do in the face of his rebellion. But he never gave it more than a thought, and dialed his phone. If Sonny wanted him dead there wasn't much he could do about it right now. But there was something he could do to help Elizabeth, he could find Jason for her.

****

~Pentonville~

Tom Baker curled up in a ball, coughing hard he did his best to hold his spleen inside his body. He hurt so bad, he couldn't even groan when he was yanked to his feet again. His legs refused to support him and he collapsed to his knees, but that wasn't good enough. He was soon picked up and thrown headfirst into the bars. He wished he could say that was the first time it had happened but he would be lying. The punch came against his kidneys and blood spurted out of his mouth in reaction, gasping in pain he slid down the bars. "No more."

"I didn't you knew what the word no meant," Jason reminded him.

"I," he coughed, "I told you everything."

"Maybe you did, then again maybe you didn't," Jason answered. His hands were throbbing, yet he was still eager to hit Baker some more. He was good at violence but he had never taken pleasure in administering a beating before now.

"I did," sobbing Baker curled in a ball again, "please."

Jason bent over and grabbed Baker by the head dragging it up he closed his fist again and prepared to strike. The muted sounds of beeping came from his watch and he reluctantly dropped his hold on Baker and he collapsed back on the ground. "It won't do you any good to complain about what happened to the guards they won't believe you, no one will. And if you try I'll just have to come back here sooner than I planned."

"I won't," Baker promised the man he could barely see because of all the blood in his eyes.

Crouching beside Baker Jason leaned closer to him. "This isn't over. If I find out you lied to me, I will be back, and I won't stop." Satisfied with the warning Jason moved out of the cell and gave a soft whistle. The cell door closed tightly behind him. "Remember Baker, I'll always be watching you."

The words were enough to end what little control Baker had been clinging too, and the mixture of fear and pain had him emptying his bladder. He remained immobile, listening to the sound of Jason Morgan walking away from his cell. Somewhere deep inside of him, in a place the pain hadn't reached, Baker began to plan. He was going to pay for the beating Morgan had just given him. The bastard was going to pay.

****

~Penthouse~

The soft knock on the door had Elizabeth off the bed in a heartbeat. Her heart was still going double time when Carly opened the door and walked inside. Mortally embarrassed over her behavior downstairs Elizabeth tried to brace herself for the tirade she knew was coming.

"I can't believe he hasn't redecorated in here yet," Carly's eyes swept the room. "Alexis' taste is marginally better than the banana's but he still needs to redecorate."

"Banana?"

"Hannah the banana, the fed," Carly explained with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Oh." Unsure where Carly was heading and unwilling to remain still Elizabeth moved to the dresser, keeping a wary eye on the blonde's progress into the room. 

"Did you know I always wanted to be popular?" Carly asked absently and catching sight of the flowered bedspread she barely controlled the shudder. "In junior high, in high school, I always wanted to be a part of the in crowd. One of the cool, popular ones."

"I think everyone did at one time or the other."

"I know but I worked at it. I wanted to be Carly," she smiled wryly. "Carly Roberts was everything I wanted to be," she saw the confused look on Elizabeth's face and explained. "Back then I was Caroline. Caroline Benson, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Caroline had no father, her mother was a part-time drunk and full-time Southern Belle. I hated Caroline I hated everything about her life, about her mother. Mama Virginia, who always talked too loud, flirted too much, and never wore the right clothes."

Fascinated Elizabeth picked up her hairbrush and began to work it through her hair while she listened.

"Carly was everything Caroline wasn't. She was rich, she was blonde, and she was beautiful. Her parents doted on her, she had a horse, and a convertible, basically she had anything she wanted. She was popular, and for some reason she wanted to be Caroline's friend." Carly moved to the window and stared out at the night. "We did everything together, where there was one, the other would soon appear. I tried out for cheerleader because Carly did, I joined the pep squad, the school plays, anything Carly did, I did, and I did it also to be popular."

"One night we went to a bonfire party, it was the night before the homecoming game. I was only invited because Carly wanted me there, but I didn't care. I had finally made it to the in crowd and there was no way I was going to leave that party. Especially not when Chad Rogers started talking to me. Chad Rogers was the King of our school," she singsonged mockingly, bitterly. "He was the Captain of the football team, star Quarterback, most popular, most rich, most handsome, and he was talking to me. Little Caroline Benson whose prior claim to fame had been when her mother had made a pass at the principal when she chaperoned the school dance a few months before."

Forgetting about the brush Elizabeth turned around and focused on Carly.

"He'd never spoken to me before that night. He wasn't with his girlfriend, but I didn't notice. I also didn't notice how my glass never seemed to get empty. We danced, we talked, we laughed, and somehow we made it in a bedroom. I didn't mind it when he kissed me, he was Chad Rogers, how could I mind? But soon kissing wasn't enough, and when I was pinned under him on the bed, I began to mind," she picked some lint off the curtains. "He didn't seem to hear me, no that's not true, when I said no he just covered my mouth with his hand. When he grew tired of that, he stuffed one of the football players jacket's sleeve in my mouth."

"I can still hear the sound of the party, the music that was being played, I can still taste the leather of the jacket," Carly blinked the images away. "He got off of me, kissed my cheek, and told me he'd give me a call. He never noticed the tears, the way I jerked away from him, or the new crimson stain on the football jackets."

Horrified Elizabeth sank on the bed.

"He never did," Carly turned from the window. "Call that is, I never spoke to him after that night. I saw him in school two days later, his arm around his girlfriend, he walked past me like I wasn't even there. No he never called, but his friends did. I had finally made it in the in crowd."

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"Carly knew, she smiled sadly, and said being popular wasn't what I'd thought it would be was it?" Shrugging the memory away Carly moved to the bed and perched on the side of the mattress. She had no idea what had compelled her to speak of the memory of that night. Other than Carly she'd never told anyone what had happened to her. She hadn't planned on telling anyone, yet once she'd entered the room she knew she had to tell Elizabeth.

"That's so wrong," Elizabeth whispered. "What he did to you was so wrong."

"It was a long time ago."

"It was five minutes ago," Elizabeth corrected her. "You should have been able to go to a party and have fun. Just like I should have been able to walk through a park on Valentine's night."

Carly nodded in agreement. "How old were you?"

"Fifteen, and too mortified to go home and face my grandmother in my brand new dress, that she had bought for me, and admit that I had been stood up in favor of my sister."

"That had to be rough."

"It was years ago," Elizabeth tried to dismiss it.

"It was five minutes ago," Carly reminded her.

"How could you face him, day after day? I could never do that. I hear Tom Baker's name and I freeze, I can't imagine being in the same room with him."

"I hated it, and I hated him, I still do," Carly admitted.

"You had to be strong, I was never strong, I did so many things wrong," Elizabeth admitted sadly.

"You turned him in, maybe not immediately but he was still punished. I never said a word, that's not strong," Carly pointed out. "Did you know Michael has had 15 footballs in his life? Every time he gets one, I throw it away a few days later. And I can't tell you how many football jackets I've burned over the years. Does that sound strong to you?"

"You survived," Elizabeth whispered.

"Yeah well so did you. That's a hell of a lot more than most." Carly reminded her.

Elizabeth nodded and began picking her hair out of the bristles of the brush. "Carly are we bonding?"

"Christ I hope not," Carly shuddered.

The horrified expression on Carly's face made Elizabeth smile.

~*~*~*~*~

"Where the hell were you?" Sonny pounced as soon as Jason opened the door.

"Out." Jason shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on the chair. "Where's Elizabeth?"

"Upstairs with Carly. She freaked out earlier," Sonny informed him. 

Concerned Jason began heading for the stairs.

"Jason we need to talk about things," Sonny called after him.

"Not now." Ignoring his friend he kept moving up the stairs.

"Jason," Sonny yelled.

"Not now Sonny. If something is going on with the business, get Johnny to handle it. I'm not leaving her," Jason snapped back.

"With everything that Elizabeth is going through do you honestly think I'd ask you to leave?" Sonny asked and when Jason didn't answer the world dropped out from underneath him. "You do think that."

"Yes I do," Jason answered bluntly. "And if you try to make me choose…"

"I wouldn't," Sonny barely managed a response.

Jason nodded and began moving up the stairs again.

Sonny sank on the couch, his eyes finally open to the man he had become in the past year. Distaste filled his mouth and his soul.

~*~*~*~*~

"Elizabeth?" Jason knocked and pushed open the door.

"She's in the shower," Carly waved him in.

"Again?" He frowned at the closed bathroom door.

"She's entitled." Carly rose from the bed. "I'll be leaving now."

"Are you okay?" Jason caught her arm when he saw the tear tracks on her face.

"Old ghosts," she whispered. She took a step towards the door then turned around. "Jason you're the best man I've ever known, and the best I ever will. So don't screw things up because you think you can't have things or people in your life if Sonny doesn't approve."

"What happened?"

"Maybe I'll tell you one day, but not now," Carly kissed his cheek. "I still don't like the muffin. But whoever is doing this to her needs to be torn apart, and I'm counting on you to do just that." Her gaze fell on his bruised knuckles. "Maybe you've already started." With a final smile she walked out of the room.

Frowning more because of her mysterious words than anything else, Jason studied his hands. His knuckles were pretty shot.

"Did you hurt your hands?"

The soft question caused him to turn in surprise. Elizabeth was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, her damp hair was brushing her shoulders. She was wearing his shirt again, and it hid most of her frame. Her legs were covered by sweats, her feet with socks. Makeup gone, her face red because of the heat of the bathroom, she looked like a teenager. 

"Not really," he quickly tucked them in his pockets before she could see them.

"I wasn't sure when you'd be back," Elizabeth forced herself to walk into the room. "Sonny was looking for you."

"I saw him," Jason moved closer.

"I thought you went somewhere for him," she admitted.

"No," he waited until she crawled into the bed, then pulled the covers up to her waist. "I was checking on something for you."

"Oh," she couldn't help but feel relieved. Even though she hated that he'd left at all, she was glad it wasn't for Sonny. "I kind of got mad at him."

"He probably deserved it."

Startled Elizabeth looked up at him. "You're not mad?"

"I'm mad," he admitted. "I'm mad at whoever is doing this to you, I'm mad at myself for hurting you the way I did, and I'm mad at Sonny for changing. So yeah I'm mad."

Elizabeth reached over and covered his bruised knuckles with her hand. Ignoring the implications of the bruises she brought her other hand up to his smooth cheek. "I'm tired of being mad. Just for tonight, can we let the anger go?"

Leaning into her hand Jason nodded. "I'm sorry I left."

"No apologies either," she pressed a finger to his lips. "Tonight it's just you and me. No anger, no guilt, no apologies, okay?"

"Okay," Jason readily agreed.

"Good," she tried to smother a yawn and failed.

"Why don't you get some rest," Jason urged.

Elizabeth nodded and lay back on the bed, and Jason immediately brought the covers higher up. Leaning closer he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight."

"Wait," she caught his hand before he could walk away.

"Did you need something?" Jason sat back down.

"Can you…" she hesitated for a long minute. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Yes." 

She patted the mattress beside her and he was glad she had her eyes closed or she would have seen the surprise on his face. Rising his attention was caught by the sight of blood on his jeans near his ankles. "Just let me change, I'll be right back."

"Okay," Elizabeth sat up and leaned against the headboard. Her brain was telling her that she had just made a mistake. That asking Jason to stay with her was a mistake of epic proportions, but her heart told her a different thing. She was too tired and scared to fight with herself any longer. Jason made her feel safe, so she wanted him around, she'd deal with the consequences of tonight, in the morning.

****

~Wyndamere~

"I know Grandmother I miss Lesley Lu, too," Nikolas paused to listen to his grandmother Lesley Webber. "Soon I hope. Right now the doctor's tell me that too many visitors isn't good for mother anyway." A soft knock sounded on the door and Nikolas waved the newcomer in while finishing up his call. "I'll talk to you soon. I love you."

Nikolas hung up the phone and frowned at his guest. "I was pleased you decided to come."

Andreas Popodopoulous nodded immediately. "I came as soon as you sent for me Master Nikolas."

Nikolas gritted his teeth at the subservient tone, but was smart enough to use it to his advantage. "When you worked for my Grandmother she relied on you to find things out for her did she not?"

"Yes."

"You found people who didn't want to be found, right?" Nikolas pressed.

"Yes."

"I want you to find someone for me. And I want you to find him immediately," Nikolas picked up the letter opener from his desk, and couldn't help but notice the way Andreas eyes immediately locked on it. Swallowing his disgust over his actions Nikolas concentrated on the end result he was trying to achieve and went on. "You will do this for me right?"

"Of course," Andreas nodded desperately. "Anything you want."

Relieved Nikolas put the letter opener in his drawer. "I need you to find my brother. I know he was in Europe 8 days ago with my mother. I need to know where he is now. And if he is back in the country I need to know how long he's been here. Can you find out for me?"

Andreas had long since learned never to be curious when a Cassadine made a request so he merely nodded and rose. "I'll get right on it."

"Good," Nikolas nodded in dismissal. He reached out and picked up a framed photograph that was on the desk. It was an old photograph, the people in it had changed so much he barely recognized them. Lulu was so much older now, Lucky had turned into someone unrecognizable and so had he. Even the room the photo had been taken in was gone now, the fire having destroyed it as well as so many of their lives. Elizabeth had taken the photo as a birthday present for Laura. And it was because of Elizabeth that he had just sent a man who had worked for his Grandmother, and possibly could still be working for Helena, even though she was in prison, after his brother.

The world had changed so much sometimes he wondered how it kept spinning at all.

****

~P.C.P.D.~

"You're telling me you can't find Timothy Baker anywhere?" Taggert snapped.

"Baker had plane tickets to JFK then on to Rome for 6 days ago, he never made the flights. He never checked out of his hotel, no one has seen him since he visited Tom Baker in Pentonville 7 days ago," Detective Andy Capelli reported.

Frustrated Taggert slammed some files around on his desk. "We need to find him."

"What did he do anyway?" Capelli asked.

"Just find him," Taggert ordered.

****

~Penthouse~

"Why do you think he's doing this to me?" Elizabeth asked softly.

Jason looked over at her, but in the darkened room all he could see was her profile. She had been quiet for so long he had hoped she'd fallen asleep. "I don't know."

Elizabeth shifted slightly so she could peer at him. "I had gotten past this, past him, and now I'm back jumping at shadows."

Jason rolled on his side, shifting the blanket so he remained covered. She was under all the blankets and the comforter, but the moment he'd crawled on the bed beside her, she'd sat up and pulled the extra blanket from the foot of the mattress and placed it over him. The glare she'd given him warned him not to mention the fact that he wasn't cold.

"I've met a lot of bad people in the world. For some they just like control."

"Like Sonny?"

"No," he shook his head. "I know you're angry with him, but Sonny at his worst would never do this to another person."

"I know that, I just meant, it's like he tries to control everyone around him. Maybe Tom Baker or whoever wanted to control me like that," she theorized.

"He only has the power if you give it to him, and you haven't done that. You've fought him every step of the way," he reminded her. "You're so much stronger than he is."

What was it about the dark that made people open up when they normally wouldn't? Was it because they couldn't see the eyes of the people they were talking too? Or was it something in the dark that just made truth telling the right thing to do?

"I don't feel strong. I woke up and you weren't here, and I told Sonny I would stay in my room if he wouldn't send you away again," she admitted ashamed at her weakness. "That's not being strong, it's being a coward."

"Don't call yourself a coward," Jason reached out and brushed the hair off of her cheek, and his fingers lingered on her skin. "It's not cowardly to need someone, sometimes."

"You never do," she sighed and closed her eyes.

The dark beckoned him so too, did the truth that he had hidden from himself and from her for so long. "You're wrong, on every count. I'm the coward here Elizabeth."

Confused she opened her eyes and stared at him.

"I do need someone, I need you, and that scares me. I'm not used to needing anyone, I haven't since Robin left, but suddenly I did. I needed you, and I couldn't handle that. So I ran, I avoided you, I hurt you, all because I was too afraid to let myself need you." Defenses gone he finally admitted the truth.

Stunned by the words and their meaning Elizabeth remained quiet. Jason shifted again, moving onto his back. She didn't know what to make of his admission, yet she knew it was the truth. The question was, had his truth come too late to make a difference?

Jason was afraid that he'd gone to far. The last thing Elizabeth needed, was him pushing her. But when he'd heard her call herself a coward for admitting she needed him, he'd had to speak. The instant she'd said the words he realized what he'd been doing to her.

"It's not cowardly to need someone, sometimes." Elizabeth repeated his words to him and shifted until her head rested on his chest. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jason whispered back, stunned by her actions and her words, he decided not to question them. His arm was above his head and he was tempted to bring it down to rest on her back and draw her nearer. But decided to leave it where it was. There was no need to rush things. He listened for her breathing to slow and settle, once he knew she was under and no bad dreams had arrived yet, he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

****

~Basement~

Anger radiated from the man as he stalked from one side of the small room to the other. Muttering under his breath, his words were indecipherable but his mood was vicious. Elizabeth had gotten away from him again, and worse he'd almost been seen. Nikolas had been close behind him and that was unacceptable.

But the fact that made him the angriest. The fact that was driving his murderous rage wasn't that she had gotten away, or that he had been chased. It was the fact that at this very moment, Elizabeth was back in Jason Morgan's penthouse. That simply would not be tolerated.

"You will regret this Elizabeth." He warned one of the dozens of photographs on the wall. Yanking one of them off he stared her smiling face, hard until the only part of it that remained to him was her eyes. She had to be punished, he determined and began shredding the photo in even strips.

The strips fluttered to the ground and he automatically reached for another photo while he considered what he could do to punish Elizabeth. He'd worked his way through five photographs before the idea finally came to him. Grinning in the dim light he looked around his room to find the necessary materials.

"You can't say I didn't warn you Elizabeth," he reminded her photo then began to hum while gathering his supplies.

****

~Kelly's~

"Frowning and sighing isn't going to get me to change my mind, so you might as well stop it." Elizabeth teased her companion.

"I don't know why you wanted to come to work." Jason shot back, his eyes scanning the courtyard for trouble.

"Several reasons. For starters Courtney just got released from the hospital this morning and won't be able to work for at least a week, Bobbie is a little better, but she's out for a few more days. Lee and Rita both pulled doubles yesterday to cover, and today is my turn," Elizabeth explained for the tenth time. "Besides the last thing I want to do is sit in your penthouse and wait for news. I spent days upon days doing that not too long ago, and I refuse to do it again."

Jason sighed. "Are you back to being mad?"

"No," she shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not accusing you I'm just saying the interior of your penthouse does nothing for me, especially when I'm there alone. And don't even try to tell me you would be there, I know you, you can't sit around and do nothing anymore than I can at the moment."

Jason had no choice but to agree with her assessment but it didn't mean he liked it.

"Besides," she played her ace. "I already told Lieutenant Taggert and Nikolas to meet us here." She couldn't help but smile at the expression on his face.

Seeing her smile, was almost enough to make him forget whom they were meeting, almost. "I really don't see why we need to include them in anything…"

Elizabeth raised a delicately shaped eyebrow in warning.

"But it's your decision," he finished glumly. When she moved inside of Kelly's he shot a warning glare at Francis who promptly quit smiling. 

Elizabeth took off her coat, hung it on the hook and headed for the counter to stow her purse. Her mood had already picked up. Jason's little helper's had replaced the glass on the door, so the diner looked the same as it had days ago. She hadn't had any bad memory flashes from the last few times she'd been in the diner and for that she was grateful. She smiled at a few of her regulars and put on her apron.

"Francis is going to be inside with you all day, I might have to leave every now and then, but you can reach me on my cell anytime," Jason went over the details.

Nodding, Elizabeth filled a coffee cup for Jason then one for Francis, she listened to Jason talk and set the cup on the counter for Francis. He eyed the cup warily then looked back at her, Elizabeth grinned and pulled the sugar container from behind her back. Francis' sweet tooth was legendary.

"Are you listening to me?" Jason asked.

"Available on your cell, do not go anywhere with any strangers, do not take any candy from strangers, do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars," Elizabeth chirped.

"Never pick up a naked man walking backwards on the road at 2:00 in the morning," Francis chimed in.

"Good one," Elizabeth nodded her approval.

Frustrated Jason scrubbed a hand over his face.

The smile faded from Elizabeth's face and she moved back to where Jason was sitting. "I'm listening, but if I think about this, think about him, I'm going to go crazy."

"The back door is being kept locked, don't unlock it for any reason. The door to the staircase is barricaded again," Jason finished his list. "I'm not trying to bring you down, I just want you to know what is going on."

"So are you going to tell me how you got the bruises on your hands?" Elizabeth asked.

Jason focused on his knuckles and avoided her gaze.

"This concerns me, I'm the one who was chased through the morgue yesterday, I'm the one being terrorized I think I deserve to know everything," she pointed out her voice beginning to rise in anger.

"I know I just don't want to upset you," he looked her in the eye. "I saw Tom Baker last night."

Unprepared Elizabeth took a step back. "He's out?"

"No," he tried to reassure her. "I went to the prison and saw him."

Relieved she nodded, her gaze fell on his knuckles again and she realized something. "It wasn't a scheduled visit was it?"

"What?"

"You saw him on the sly right?" When Jason didn't answer she knew she was right. "Do I have to remind you what would happen to me if you get arrested?"

"You'll be safe."

"Physically maybe, emotionally I wouldn't bet on it. You saw how I was yesterday," she reminded him.

"I'm not going to get arrested," he reassured her.

"See that you don't," she ordered before moving inside the kitchen.

"So how is the muffin today?"

Habit had him glaring at Carly but there was no heat behind the gaze. Carly as usual ignored the glare, kissed his cheek and took the stool next to him.

Shaking his head Jason rubbed her lipstick off. "You're out early."

"It's hard to sleep in when you have preschooler," she pointed out.

"You look tired."

"Well you're your tactful self now aren't you?" Carly asked.

"You were upset last night, and I think you still are. Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Jason asked.

"Why so you can ride to my rescue again?" She shook her head. "This time I think I'll try to fix things on my own." She heard him groan and glared at him. "No plans, just reality."

"You without a plan?" He asked, disbelief apparent on his face.

"I'm just tired Jase, sometimes I don't even remember what I'm fighting for. Sonny's changed in the last year, and even more in the last month," as usual Jason was the only person she could fully let her guard down with. "I'm used to him shutting me out, shutting down on me, but this is different."

"Because of Brenda?"

Carly's mouth twisted in a sneer at the mention of her name. "If it was just Brenda I would still be in there fighting, no woman has ever scared me away," she reminded him. "But it's not just her. Sonny was changing before Brenda ever came back, and not for the better. You've seen him, you know what I'm talking about."

Carly having placed him in that awkward place between them Jason could only shrug an answer. "You changed too, you have still to tell him about faking your death."

"That's exactly my point I do crazy things, I always have and I always will, but that was the craziest. I walked away from Michael for weeks, with that stunt. Bobbie wanted me to tell Michael that Sonny was dead, and it hit me, someone told him I was dead," she felt the guilt rise inside of her. "That's not right Jase, I did that to get Sonny back, and now I don't know if I want him. How truly insane is that?"

"You never gave yourself enough credit," he patted her hand. "Maybe you should do what you've been telling me to do. Put yourself first, ahead of Sonny."

"Are you telling me to be selfish?" Carly asked in disbelief

Jason just shook his head. When the door opened behind him he shifted and met Nikolas Cassadine's gaze. "I need to go."

"I'll keep an eye on the muffin if she ever decides to bring me coffee," Carly snapped loudly.

"Be nice," Jason gave her a fruitless reminder and headed out the door.

"Did you say you wanted coffee?" Elizabeth walked out of the kitchen with a fresh pot.

"Finally," Carly flipped her cup over.

Sighing Elizabeth filled the cup then put the pot on the burner. It looked like she didn't have to be worried about things being different with Carly. In spite of what they'd talked about last night, it seemed the blonde still had the same attitude, which was lousy.

"You look a little better than last night," Carly commented to fill the silence. "The scarf is it new?"

Elizabeth fingered the light blue scarf. "Not really my gram gave it to me for Christmas."

"Audrey," Carly nodded. "That explains it."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't say anything, and it's a big step up from the granny skirts."

"You need a refill Carly?" Elizabeth yanked the pot from the burner and moved it closer to the blonde.

"Well if it isn't my two new favorite women." Dr. Chris Ramsey called cheerfully and took the seat next to Carly.

Although the temptation was strong Elizabeth bypassed Carly's hand and filled Chris' coffee cup. "How are you today Dr. Ramsey?"

"Elizabeth after everything we've been through I was hoping you'd call me Chris. After all I've seen you on daily basis this week," Chris teased. "I hope your bad luck string is only temporary."

Elizabeth's eyes darted to Carly.

"You were going to tell me about an angel weren't you?" Carly provided the distraction. "I've met one woman named Angel, believe me when I say the little slut definitely wasn't one."

"Ohh venom, that means it's a juicy story," Chris rested his elbows on the counter and leaned closer. "Details, I live for gossip."

Carly couldn't help but grin at his unabashed interest. "She had a fixation on white. Probably color blind, and let me tell you I didn't know they made so many ugly outfits in white before I met that woman."

Shaking her head Elizabeth stepped out into the diner. Her attention was caught by the men outside the door and with a nod at Francis she pulled on her coat and stepped outside.

"You cannot tell her, she's dealing with enough as it is," Nikolas implored the Lieutenant.

"Tell me what?" Elizabeth made her presence known.

Taggert looked over at her then back at the men he'd been arguing with. Nikolas shook his head no, but Jason nodded. Surprisingly he felt himself going along with Morgan. "Elizabeth," he stepped closer and took her hand. "Why don't you sit down?"

"No," feeling uneasy she pulled her hand away. "Tell me what happened. Is someone else hurt?" 

"No," Taggert realized he was only making things worse by trying to sugarcoat things. "There was a fire last night. It was in the building your studio was in."

"Was?" Elizabeth asked.

"There's no easy way to say this, your studio and everything in it, is gone. The fire destroyed it all."

Shaking her head she sank slowly in the chair. All of her artwork, both the good and the bad were gone? It didn't seem possible. She'd worked for close to three years in that studio, how could it be gone? "Are you sure?"

"I just came from there," Taggert crouched down in front of her. "There's more."

"What?"

"The fire originated in your studio. The door had been jimmied, the locks removed, and someone soaked everything in the room with gasoline before they lit it."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No, the firemen were able to save most of the second floor, and all of the first, but the third floor and above is a total loss."

"It was him wasn't it?" Elizabeth asked she looked to Jason for confirmation.

"Probably," Jason answered.

"We don't know that," Taggert reminded him grumpily and got to his feet.

"No one else had a motive to burn Elizabeth's studio down," Nikolas chimed in.

"Maybe she wasn't the target, maybe you were," Taggert pointed at Jason. "Someone had a blanket party all over Tom Baker last night, you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Stop it," Elizabeth surged to her feet and got between Taggert and Jason. "I told you I wouldn't let you use what is happening with me to further your own agenda."

Chastised slightly Taggert backed off. "Fine, I still haven't been able to locate Timothy Baker. The last place he was seen was Pentonville, over a week ago now."

Elizabeth glanced at Jason.

"There's a good chance that Tom Baker told his brother everything, and Tim Baker may be the one doing this," Jason volunteered.

Taggert's eyes narrowed in interest.

"Does Timothy Baker have a record?" Nikolas asked.

"Nothing since becoming an adult," Taggert hedged.

"What about his juvenile record?" Jason asked.

"You know juvenile records are sealed," Taggert reminded him.

If Nikolas didn't know better he'd swear that Taggert had just given them a hint to do something illegal and break into Baker's juvenile files. Nikolas' eyes moved to Jason, but as usual the stone face never gave anything away.

"We can't limit our search to just Baker," Jason was saying. "Have you found Lucky yet?"

"Jason," Elizabeth sighed.

"There are a limited number of people who know enough about your rape to do this to you, Lucky is one of them, and he has had some problems. He also knows you, he knows your grandmother, and he knows your allergies. How would Baker know that?" Jason asked.

"What about my gram?" Elizabeth dodged the question with one of her own.

"You told me the only reason you walked away from the elevator yesterday was because you heard your Grandmother's favorite song, and thought she was there. How would Tom Baker know that?" Jason pointed out the fact that had occurred to him during the long night. 

"Lucky wouldn't do this," Nikolas defended his missing brother.

"Is he in Europe or not?" Jason asked Nikolas point blank.

Nikolas hesitated then met Elizabeth's eye. "I don't know, Lesley hasn't seen him for days."

"Oh god," Elizabeth closed her eyes.

"That doesn't mean anything, he could be looking for Luke," Nikolas pointed out.

"I can't hear anymore," she turned to go back inside.

"Are you okay?" Jason was beside her in a step.

"I guess the night's over, and reality is here again," she murmured.

"We'll find out who is doing this. I promise you that," his hand covered hers on the doorknob and he gave it a squeeze.

"But what if the real nightmare begins after we find out who it is?" Elizabeth asked sadly and moved through the open door.

~*~*~*~

"Well as charming as you have been, I must leave," Chris downed the last of his coffee in one swallow. "Would you like to continue this over dinner?"

Carly couldn't believe his nerve. "I'm married remember?"

"So?" Chris grinned and gave her a wink. "Take care of your arm Elizabeth," he called to her.

"He's got to be crazy," Elizabeth commented.

"What if a man asks me out that makes him crazy?" Carly shot back angrily.

"If he asks you out knowing your married to Sonny Corinthos, he's crazy," Elizabeth retorted.

"Don't you have dishes or some other menial labor task to do?" Carly asked snidely.

Ignoring the comment Elizabeth picked up the dish bin and moved in the back room. Nodding to Don she moved to the sink. The water had cooled enough that it was manageable and she stuck the newest dishes in. There was something about the mindless chore of dishwashing that soothed her frazzled nerves.

She didn't want Jason to be right about Lucky. It was bad enough that Lucky had changed into someone unrecognizable. But if he was purposefully torturing her by using the memory of the worst thing that had ever happened to her, she didn't know if she could handle it. Lucky had been her rock after the rape. It didn't seem possible that he would use that against her now.

"I'll be right back," Don called and walked into the dining room.

Elizabeth nodded and reached for the next plate. But Jason had a point. Whoever was doing this to her, did seem to know her. Baker knew everything about the rape because he had done it. But there was no way he could know about her gram's favorite song. Or how could he have known she was allergic to raspberries and wouldn't eat the chocolate he'd sent? It wasn't like she had to wear a medic alert bracelet because of raspberries, so how had he known?

Sighing she tried to flip her hair out of her eyes when it fell forward. Puffing out a breath she blew the bangs free. Reaching for another plate movement from the side caught her eye.

~*~*~*~*~

"Drano?" Nikolas repeated.

"That's right, he laced the chocolates with Drano," Taggert repeated. "There was enough on each piece to induce vomiting, fever, stomach cramps, among other things, but one piece by itself wouldn't be lethal."

"What if someone had eaten the whole box?" Jason asked.

"You saw what happened to Courtney and Bobbie, because of the number of pieces they had. Their organs started shutting down, so if you had ate the whole box, you'd probably be dead," Taggert nodded.

"Don't sound so disappointed," Nikolas muttered.

"Have you found anything out about where they came from?"

~*~*~*~*~

"Elizabeth order," Don called out and set a burger on the counter.

Surprised Francis looked over at the kitchen.

"Elizabeth," Don called again and hit the bell.

"Isn't she in there," Carly asked Francis.

Ignoring the question Francis charged inside the kitchen.

"Jason!" Carly yelled.

"What?" Jason ran through the door with Taggert and Nikolas right behind him.

Carly pointed to the kitchen. "Elizabeth."

Racing into the kitchen the only people he saw were Francis and a visibly shaken Don. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Don answered. "She was here when I went to the bathroom, and not when I came back. I thought she was in the diner, but he says she never came out of the kitchen."

"He's right she never came out," Francis confirmed.

"Elizabeth," Nikolas called and looked around. The door to the stairs was still barricaded. No one could have done that from the other side of the door.

Jason moved to the back door, he reached out for the handle, but Taggert stopped him.

"Fingerprints," Taggert reminded him and pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the doorknob. "It's still locked."

"Open it," Jason ordered.

"Jase?" Carly called from the entry.

"Open it." Jason turned around and yelled at Don. 

"The key is on the hook," Don pointed.

Jason paused long enough to pull on his gloves before picking up the key and unlocking the door. He pulled the door open and stepped out into the back alley. "Elizabeth?"

Taggert, Nikolas and Francis were hot on his heels, but it was apparent no one was in the alley. 

Something partway down the alley caught Taggert's attention and he moved closer. Squatting he picked up a dirty rag off the ground and took a whiff.

"What is it?" Jason asked although he had a feeling he already knew.

"Chloroform," Taggert announced and reached for his phone to call it in. "It looks like he finally got her."

****

~Vehicle~

Humming filled the interior of the vehicle, its sound was stronger than the radio, so he switched the radio off. Smiling to himself he couldn't help but be thrilled with the thought of what was in his trunk. "It's finally time Elizabeth," he grinned and began humming again.


	9. Life just got a whole lot stranger

****

Babble: I forgot to ask if there were any final guesses on who was doing this or not. So leave me a reply as a guess then read, or not. Either way please leave me a reply. Not much is left to be revealed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part IX

****

~Penthouse~

Jason didn't remember the last time he'd felt so content. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up in bed with someone. Frowning he banished the memory when it came, it wasn't right to be thinking of one woman while lying in bed with another. Besides that morning was nothing like this. Moving slowly, he brought his arm down until it rested on Elizabeth's back. The movement was hard he could already feel the sharp pins of pain shooting up his arm as blood began to move in it again. But he resisted the impulse to rub it, not wanting to disturb Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sighed and he felt her warm breath through the thin cotton of his shirt. It was an easy breath, the same as it had been all night. She hadn't dreamed, or at least she hadn't had any nightmares and for that he was relieved. Jason stared sightlessly at the ceiling, his brain trying to piece together all the threads and come up with the name of who was doing this to her. Unknowingly, his hand began to rub circles on Elizabeth's back.

Baker had been cooperative, but he had expected nothing less. But, now, in the harsh light of day, and away from the out of control moments of rage of the previous night, he couldn't help thinking he'd missed something with Baker. At the time he had been so angry, over what had happened to Elizabeth years before and what she was going through now, that he'd simply reacted. Gone was the in control enforcer Sonny had relied on for years, and in his place was Taggert's aptly named _Anger Boy_. 

Baker had been afraid and in the end desperate, but there had always been a hint of calculation in the other man's eyes. He needed to find out what Baker was hiding, that meant another visit to Pentonville. The only thing was he wasn't sure that another visit wouldn't turn out the same way the first had, with him beating Baker. The mere sight of Baker combined with the knowledge of what he had done to Elizabeth infuriated him to the point he wasn't sure he wouldn't kill Baker the next time he saw him. He'd come close last night. Close to snapping Baker's neck like a twig.

"It's too early for frowning."

Startled Jason looked down at a now awake Elizabeth. Too lost in his thoughts he'd missed her wakefulness. "Did I wake you?"

"Not really," she yawned and began to lay her head back down on his chest, only to stop and shift until her head rested on the pillow beside him instead.

Jason felt the loss of her warmth, and her withdrawal immediately but said nothing.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 8:00," he answered after a quick check of his watch.

Groaning Elizabeth turned on her side and buried her head in her pillow. "I hate mornings."

"I remember." Jason rolled on his side mimicking her position.

Opening one eye Elizabeth she eyed him in question.

"You hated sleeping on the hard floor of the studio, yet you complained in the morning about having to leave the sleeping bag," he reminded her with a grin.

"It was cold," she reminded him petulantly.

"Oh," he nodded. "And that's why you used to say five more minutes gram, every morning?" He teased.

"You remember far too much," Elizabeth accused him. But there was no heat behind her words. "I do have to get up, I have to go to work today."

Frowning Jason automatically shook his head.

"Yes I do, and don't look at me like that," she warned him. "I have to be there at 10:00 and I will be."

"Elizabeth we don't know who this guy is or where he is," he reminded her. He had an uneasy feeling about her wanting to work.

"And if I stay here we'll suddenly know?" 

"You're safe here," he pointed out.

"Safe?" She laughed shortly. "Are you forgetting how Sorel just walked into the building and took Carly hostage, or when Sonny went even crazier than usual and walked into his penthouse with a bomb strapped to his chest?"

"What?" 

"You mean you didn't know?" Elizabeth's surprise was evident on her face.

"A bomb?" Jason could only shake his head. How had that happened and he missed it? Sonny and bombs were never a good thing, what the hell had Sonny been thinking? Carly was right, everyone was right, Sonny had changed a lot since he'd left the year before.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth's hand covered his on the pillow.

"For what?" Her touch drew him out of his thoughts.

"I thought you knew."

"It seems there were a lot of things that went on that I had no clue about," he sighed softly. Things like Emily, like Sorel, like Elizabeth faking her death, like… he never should have left.

"You're here now that's all that matters," she broke into his thoughts again.

Smiling softly Jason laced his fingers with hers. "You do that a lot."

"Do what?"

"Figure out what I'm thinking and call me on it," he admitted and could tell he caught her by surprise.

"You used to do the same with me," she pointed out. "And I can't with you very often," she let out a deep sigh.

Feeling the dart, but realizing it didn't sting quite as much as usual he merely nodded. 

"If you hide from me I can't." Elizabeth murmured.

"And if you run from me, I can't." He shifted his head on his pillow, moving closer to her.

"I told you I wasn't going to run anymore," she reminded him and moved closer.

"Habit's a hard thing to break. You run, I run, sometimes it's hard to stop running even when you want too," he shifted closer still.

"You ran first," she reminded him.

"What?" Confused his movements stopped. "When?"

"You're not losing me, I'm just going away for awhile," she repeated his words from years ago, the expression on her face turned accusatory. "You ran."

"There was a lot of stuff going on back then, I couldn't stay," he explained.

"You ran," Elizabeth repeated.

"I'm not running now," Jason countered. Deciding not to waste the opportunity he had now by talking about the past he leaned closer to kiss her.

"Morning breath," she grinned and backed away.

Before he had a chance to stop her she was off the bed and heading for the bathroom. "I need to shower before work," she called over her shoulder.

Groaning Jason rubbed his eyes. 

Today was going to be a long day.

~*~*~*~*~

"Jason?" Carly touched his shoulder.

Jason blinked and the memory of his bedroom faded, turning his head he met Carly's worried brown eyes. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Ignoring the conversations going on around them in the police station she shifted closer trying to shield him from the curious eyes of the police.

"I'm just remembering. I had a bad feeling about her going to work today, but I didn't really fight her on it. As usual I relied on my standard response, it's her life she has a right to live it the way she wants too, I can't make her decisions for her, no one can. I may not like her choices but I have to respect them." Jason shook his head a sneer forming on his lips. "I just realized how much of a copout that really is."

"It's not a copout," Carly hedged. "You just need to be selfish sometimes, just like you encouraged me to be."

Even in the height of his worry Carly could make him smile. "You're not going to let me forget that are you?"

"Are you crazy?" Carly smiled back and for a moment the worry eased.

"I hate to intrude when you're so obviously upset," Taggert broke in coldly.

Carly rolled her eyes and began to retort, when Jason touched her arm and shook his head.

"The lock wasn't picked. So whoever grabbed her had a key," Taggert announced.

Jason nodded he could tell at the scene that the lock wasn't picked but he let Taggert have his moment.

"No one saw anything, no one heard anything, one might think they were mob witnesses," Taggert went on.

"Back off," incensed Carly shot to her feet and ignoring Jason's frown she went on. "With the PCPD's track record why would anyone tell you anything? How many people have you declared dead only to find out they are still alive? How many times have you arrested someone for murder when the person is still alive?"

"Carly this isn't helping," Jason came between her and the cop.

"And Taggert standing around glaring at you instead of trying to find the sicko who snatched Elizabeth, is?" Carly demanded.

"Carly," Jason snapped and ran a weary hand through the back of his hair.

Seeing the fatigue and pain in his normally cold gaze Carly did her best to swallow her anger. 

"Who had keys to the backdoor of Kelly's?" Nikolas asked.

"At this point you may as well ask who didn't," Taggert grumbled. "Apparently the locks haven't been changed since Ruby Anderson owned the place. Tenants, employees, former employees, they all had keys, and there's no telling how many dupes have been made over the years."

"That means Lucky was a key," Jason said softly and Nikolas shot him a warning look.

"Lucky wouldn't do this to Elizabeth. Besides you heard Taggert half the town could have had a key."

"Did half the town know what happened to her on Valentine's Day? Does half the town know she is allergic to raspberries? Does half the town know Mrs. Hardy's favorite band?" Jason shot back.

"You just want it to be Lucky because you hate him," Nikolas retorted angrily.

"That's where you're wrong," Jason wearily shook his head. "I want it to be him because if it is Lucky who has Elizabeth he probably won't hurt her, but if it's not Lucky…" he trailed off.

Nikolas didn't know how to respond to that statement so he moved away to check in with Andreas again. The phone on a nearby desk rang and Taggert moved to answer it leaving Jason and Carly alone again.

"You'll find her Jase," Carly reiterated her support.

"She's been gone for almost 4 hours now and I'm no closer to finding out who has her than I was 5 minutes after she was grabbed." Sighing, he dropped onto a rickety wooden chair. "4 hours, do you have any idea how far away she could be by now?"

"It won't matter how far away Elizabeth is." Perching on the chair beside him she rubbed his back trying to soothe. "You will find her, that is what you do Jason. You find the people you care about. You found Michael when Tony snatched him, you found Saint Robin, you found Emily, and you found Elizabeth last summer. You will find her, you're too good not too."

"This is different," his voice cracked and he took a moment to steady it. "Those other times I was the target, or I knew who took them and why. This time is different because Elizabeth was the target all along. She wasn't taken in an effort to punish me. She was taken because of what was done to her all those years ago, and it could be happening to her again while I'm sitting here in this damn…"

"Stop it. Look at me," Carly gripped his hand hard until he focused on her. "You can't think like that. Taggert said chloroform would knock someone of Elizabeth's size out for 4-6 hours, she's probably still asleep. And when she wakes up her first thought, well maybe not her first, but the one she is going to hold onto the tightest is the fact that she knows you will come for her. You need to focus on that. Don't go sliding into what ifs, remember you don't do what ifs you do facts only."

"The fact is she is missing." Jason reminded her sharply.

"Another fact is Baker, the man who raped her all those years ago, is in jail," Carly retorted just as sharply.

"That's what makes this all the more frustrating. Baker is the most likely suspect and he's in jail. So who the hell does that leave? How can I find her if I'm not sure who I'm looking for?" He clenched his fists in frustration. He couldn't remember feeling so helpless. When Michael had been kidnapped he'd had leads to follow, when Elizabeth had been grabbed it was the same. But this time he didn't have any, he was stuck sitting in the police station waiting for the phone to ring and that drove him crazy.

"You want to know who took her?" Carly asked him. "Talk to me, tell me what you know. You always help me make sense of things when I tell you what's on my mind, let me do that for you."

"You're going to help me make sense of things?"

Catching his expression Carly slugged his shoulder. "Just do it."

Rubbing a hand down his cheek he decided to play along, anything was better than the frustration that was rapidly overtaking him. "Whoever has her knows Elizabeth, he knows her habits, and more importantly he knows her history. He knows Kelly's and had access to it at one point. He can pick locks, but he's sloppy about it."

The more he talked the more his mind cleared and he was able to focus on the problem, instead of his feelings. His words grew stronger his expression slid back into unreadable. 

"He also knows the hospital. He spent a lot of time setting up the attack in the morgue. He needed to have the access codes to the doors to get out, he also needed to know the morgue attendant schedule. He set the attack up to happen when it was empty because of lunch, but they break at a different time each day, so he had to know their schedule in advance."

Nikolas moved closer listening to the cold recitation of the facts. This was the Jason Morgan he was used to seeing, and for the first time in his life he was relieved to see the man.

Jason's brain raced ahead but his expression remained neutral. "He has to know Audrey Hardy in some way. He used her, because he knew Elizabeth would meet her no matter what. He also was familiar enough with Audrey that he knew her music tastes. He knows Elizabeth's medical history. Not very many people knew of her allergy, it wasn't life threatening she would just get a rash if she ate raspberries, it's a fluke I even know about it." He deliberately banished the memory of how he knew from his mind.

"He also knew how much Drano he needed to put on each piece of chocolate to cause illness but not death. He had access to chloroform, and he has to have a vehicle. No one remembers seeing anything suspicious this morning, or at any place where the attacks occurred, that means he must blend in. People may not even give him a second glance, or maybe the know him, but either way he doesn't come across as threatening, so they don't pay attention."

When Jason grew quiet Carly shook her head in amazement. "It sounds like you could be talking about someone who works at the hospital."

Both Jason and Nikolas nodded. 

"I was thinking the same thing," Nikolas agreed.

"There was this doctor," Jason broke off when Detective Capelli hurried into the bullpen.

"Lieutenant I found Timothy Baker," Capelli announced loudly.

Jason shot to his feet and began to move over to them.

"Get the car," Taggert ordered.

"Jason," Carly caught his hand before he could move too far. "I'm going to the hospital to see mama, call me and let me know what you find out okay?"

"I will," he drew her close for a hug. "Thank you."

"Go," Carly ordered and watched him follow the cops out of the bullpen. That was a sight she'd never thought she'd see. "You better be alright Elizabeth, it'll kill him if you aren't."

****

~Penthouse~

"If you're not careful your face might freeze like that."

Confused Jason turned to look at Elizabeth who stood on the stairs. For a second all he did was stare. She was wearing black pants, and they clung to her small frame like a second skin. Her blue sweater matched her eyes, which were full of amusement at the moment. Amusement that was aimed in his direction. "What?"

"It's an expression, it means if you keep frowning like that sooner or later your mouth won't remember how to smile," she explained her expression serious.

"That makes no sense. It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so if anything your body would cease frowning before it would stop smiling."

Laughing softly she stepped off the stairs and moved closer to him. The clunk her boots made on the hardwood floor, with each step she took, was familiar to him, and he realized at that moment he had missed the sound. 

"You have to be the most literal person on the planet," she complained.

Shrugging but refusing to deny he took a sip of his coffee.

"I still don't know how you can drink that stuff." She moved closer and bending slightly she took a whiff of his cup and made a face.

He couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "You're not supposed to smell it, you drink it."

"I suppose," she rolled her eyes. "I hoped the only reason you drank coffee was because you own a coffee warehouse but I'm beginning to believe you actually like the stuff." She leaned her head against his arm and wrapped an arm around his waist.

Caught off guard by her moves Jason remained still and barely even breathed until he realized she wasn't moving away. Giving into temptation he tilted his head until it rested atop hers. "You don't have to go to work if you don't want to."

"I don't want too," she admitted. Her hand moved down his arm slowly, until it found his hand and she rested hers on top of his.

Jason couldn't help but be struck by the difference in size of their hands. Her hand was pale, and her fingers were barely longer than half of his fingers. He hadn't realized how small her hands were until just that moment.

"But I need too." Unaware of what was going on inside of Jason she went on. "I have to keep living my life, if I don't he'll win."

"A day off doesn't mean he wins," Jason pointed out and could have hit himself when she pulled away from him and walked to the pool table.

"I've put my life on hold so many times, for so many reasons, all of them worth it, or so I thought at the time. I don't want to do that anymore." Keeping her back to him, her focus on the table, she kept talking. "A day off is simple yes, but I'm afraid it will lead to so much more. I can't give up control again."

Jason moved up behind her and automatically reached out to touch her shoulder, hesitated, then lowered his hand and instead moved beside her. "If this is what you want I'll take you to work. Francis will be with you at all times, and I plan on being there as much as I can," he sighed and reluctantly went on. "Nikolas will probably be there too."

Tilting her head Elizabeth smiled softly in his direction. "That sounded like it hurt you to say."

"He seems to be acting like your friend and as long as he keeps doing that I won't have a problem with him. I don't like him, but as long as he doesn't hurt you, I won't say anything," he admitted painfully.

Elizabeth took him by surprise again when she moved closer stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

"What was that for?" He asked when she drew back slightly.

"For being the most literal man on the planet," she explained and smiled at his expression.

Ignoring her words for once he latched onto her smile. Like it was the most natural thing in the world his hand found her cheek and he drew a thumb down it. No matter how many times he touched her he always marveled at how soft her skin was. Moving closer he bent slightly, tilted her head back and lowered his lips to her.

Elizabeth pressed her hand against his lips when they were inches from hers and pushed him back gently. "Coffee breath," she confided and stepped back. "You better brush your teeth, we need to get to Kelly's."

Jason couldn't help but glare at her back when she moved to the closet. Grumbling under his breath he took the steps two at a time and headed for his bathroom. Maybe it was time to give up coffee.

~*~*~*~

"Timothy Baker?" Taggert asked at the desk.

Shaking his head Jason shook the memory away and followed Taggert down the hall. A sign in the hall caught his attention and he focused on it for a second _Mercy Hospital_. Hospital's again.

"He's been here for 8 days now, he only came out of his coma today," Detective Capelli explained. "Some joggers found him in the park, he'd been beaten and robbed, he had no identification on him, and only regained consciousness about 2 hours ago."

"Why the hell didn't the cops working the case catch this when I put out his picture with his APB?" Taggert demanded.

"Because they were lazy?" Capelli answered and pushed through the doors to ICU.

Jason came to a halt and stared at the man lying in the hospital bed. With the bruises on his face, he looked exactly like Tom Baker had looked when he had finished with him last night. "Are you sure this is Timothy Baker?"

"Yeah," Capelli nodded and stopped a passing doctor. "Is he your patient?" He asked flashing a badge.

"Yes Mr. Baker is my patient," the haggard looking resident smothered a yawn. "He only just regained consciousness I think you should wait to question him."

"Are you sure he's been here the whole time?" Jason asked.

Startled the doctor looked at him. "The man was admitted with a severe skull fracture, and subdural hematoma, not only has he been here the whole time, he will continue to be here for quite a while longer."

"Thank you," Capelli said in dismissal.

"Great another fucking dead end," Taggert sniped and plowed his fist in the wall.

Jason turned around and began heading back the way he'd come. Nikolas fell into step beside him.

"So where to now?"

Jason ignored him and kept walking.

"I'm going to be right here, with you every step of the way, until we find Elizabeth so you might as well deal with it. You won't stop until you find her, no matter what you have to do, Taggert still believes in his laws, so he might, but you'll be the cold-hearted bastard you need to be and won't stop no matter what. So I plan on dogging your every step," Nikolas informed him coldly.

"I'm going to GH there's someone there I need to talk too," Jason informed him tersely and heard Taggert yell his name.

"Correction there's someone there we need to talk too."

****

~General Hospital~

"Mama you need to rest so stop worrying about things you can't change." Carly reminded her mother and closed the door. Sighing she wearily leaned against the door. This forever-long day just seemed to keep getting worse. If worrying about Jason and Elizabeth wasn't bad enough she'd been greeted to the sight of Brenda when she'd come into the hospital. The brunette was stalking her other ex today for a change.

Stalking, poor choice of words she realized with a frown. Carly forced herself to move down the hall. She needed to find Jason. Hopefully he would have good news. She came to a halt when she recognized the man by the nurse's desk. Dr. Chris Ramsey. A smile drifted over her features as she studied the man. His casual flirtation the last few days had been just what she needed. She couldn't remember the last time a man had flirted with her, and she'd flirted back, she normally wouldn't have done that.

Carly took another step forward, she could use a little flirtation at the moment. Again her steps stalled as a flash of blue caught her eye. Frowning she wondered why the sight of it made her stomach clench. Her mind went into memory.

__

"The scarf is it new?"

Elizabeth fingered the light blue scarf. "Not really my gram gave it to me for Christmas."

"Oh my god," Carly whispered. She turned to look for her guard then remembered that she had ditched him as usual. She dug in her bag searching for her cell, her hand closed around it the same time she looked up again and spotted him getting on the elevator. She couldn't let him get away. Instinct that had led her into more trouble then she would like to admit kicked in and she raced for the stairwell, desperate not to lose him.

****

~Penthouse~

Jason and Elizabeth exited his penthouse the same time Sonny left his. Spying him Elizabeth immediately tensed and shifted away from Jason, who sighed and kept moving to the elevator.

"Jason," Sonny nodded at him before smiling at his companion. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Sonny," Elizabeth muttered.

As soon as the doors opened Elizabeth moved inside the elevator and moved to the back. Jason moved on after her and hoped that for once Sonny wouldn't say anything. He smothered a groan when Sonny did speak.

"How are you feeling today Elizabeth?" Sonny asked.

"Okay," she shrugged and began to pick at her fingernail polish.

Sonny sighed and opened his mouth to try again, then shut it abruptly and turned around to face the doors. Jason was surprised at the move, but didn't question it.

The doors opened on Parking Level 003 and Sonny stepped off the elevator. "Take care of her," he informed Jason.

Surprised Jason could only nod, but Sonny had already walked away. The doors closed and the elevator began to move again, Elizabeth shifted away from the wall until she was standing beside him. He felt her hand slide through the crook of his arm, then slide down until it reached his hand.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Surprised he looked down at her. "For what?"

"Putting you in the middle because I'm mad at Sonny."

The doors opened and he led her off the elevator before turning to look at her. "You have a right to feel what you feel."

"I know but Sonny is your friend."

"So are you," placing a hand on her chin he tilted her head up until he could see her eyes. "I finally remembered that it's okay for me to be mad at my friends."

"You're mad at Sonny? Why?"

He could see the confusion on her face and smoothed the line between her brows with his fingers. "For changing our relationship and not giving me any warning about it, kind of like I did with you."

Elizabeth sighed, rubbed her nose, sighed again then looked up at him. "I'm not as mad as I once was."

Reaching out he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, or at least that was his intention. Instead he hesitated and rubbed the silky strands between his fingers, marveling at the texture.

"You do that a lot," she murmured.

"Do you want me to stop?" Awaiting her reply he held his breath.

Elizabeth searched his eyes for a long time before sighing and leaning into his hand. "No."

Breathing again at her soft admission, he bent slightly and angled his head seeking her lips.

A car horn blared in the parking garage, startled Elizabeth stepped back and turned around. Jason narrowed his eyes and glared over her shoulder at a sheepish looking Francis.

"We need to go," Elizabeth gripped his hand and headed for the waiting Durango.

Trailing her Jason's frown got more and more pronounced and Francis' face turned more and more red.

~*~*~*~*~

"I have news," Nikolas joined him by the nurse's desk. "Jason?"

The sound of his name banished the memory and Jason looked around the lobby of General Hospital's emergency room.

"Jason?" Nikolas asked again.

"What news?" Jason asked.

"I found Lucky. He was arrested last night in Louisiana apparently he tried to break Luke out of jail down there." Nikolas couldn't keep the relief out of his voice. Until Andreas had given him the news that it for sure wasn't Lucky doing this to Elizabeth, he hadn't realized how worried he had been that it was.

"Luke is in jail?" Jason asked in surprise.

"Apparently, and now so is Lucky, since he was arrested last night, even you can pin this one on him," Nikolas concluded.

Jason nodded and turned back to the nurse. "I'm looking for a doctor."

"Where are you hurt?" She asked and reached for a clipboard.

"I'm not, I need to speak with a specific doctor, his name is Chris Ramsey."

The nurse checked her chart and nodded. "He's on for another 10 minutes, I'll page him for you."

Nikolas waited for her to step away before speaking. "Why do you want to talk to him?"

"Every time I turn around this guy is around Elizabeth."

"And that makes him a suspect?" Nikolas questioned.

"He had access to her medical records, he works here so he knows Audrey, he had access to the morgue. And he drugs her a lot," Jason responded sharply.

"What?"

"He's always giving her drugs, something is wrong there." Jason maintained.

"I'm sorry he doesn't seem to be answering his page," the nurse announced.

"Can you page him again?" Nikolas asked his interest in Chris Ramsey just jumped. 

****

~An Apartment building~

Carly snapped her phone shut with a frustrated sigh. Why the hell wasn't Jason answering his phone? She gave a brief thought to calling Sonny, but he was probably with Brenda so what was the point. Depressed and angry she moved up the stairs and entered the old building. She could hear him moving up the stairs to the second floor.

There was a chance she was wrong. There was a chance that the scarf she saw in his pocket was just one that looked like Elizabeth's. After all why would he take Elizabeth? It made no sense, yet at the same time it made a kind of perverse sense to her. She heard his voice on the stairs and realized he was coming back down, panicked she looked around for someplace to hide.

She spied a door under the stairs and opened it. Stairs greeted her eyes and without hesitating she moved down them, closing the door behind her quietly. His voice sounded loud in the hall and she heard an answering feminine voice, both voices drew nearer and she moved further down the stairs as quietly as she could. 

The basement opened into a large room at the base of the stairs. She saw a washer and dryer on her right, as well as a clothesline set up near the back wall. The basement was remarkable clean for being a basement, but she still watched where she stepped. Looking to the left she spied a door. Curiosity had her moving closer.

The doorknob turned easily under her hand and Carly pushed the door open. She automatically searched the wall just inside the door, looking for a light switch but didn't find one. The dim light from the basement filtered inside the room, and the images that met her eyes confused her. 

She moved inside the room until the string hanging off the light bulb hit her head. She reached up and yanked on the string. The fuse inside the bulb caught and the bare bulb illuminated the small room.

"Oh my god," Carly whispered once her eyes adjusted to the light. Photos of Elizabeth were everywhere, filling every available spot on the wall. She turned in a circle, spying a table on the far side of the room she moved closer. A box of Valentine's candy was on the table, along with various Valentine decorations. A can of gasoline was on the ground underneath the table and Carly could smell the fumes where she was standing.

Her eye next moved to a large trunk against the wall. It was huge and it was padlocked and she had an idea that Elizabeth may be inside of it. Carly hurried to the trunk. "Elizabeth?" She called out a little louder than she'd intended and quickly looked over her shoulder at the open doorway.

Crouching beside the trunk Carly put her ear on it listening for some sort of response. Hearing nothing she reached in her bag, and pulled out her phone. The display said no signal and smothering a curse she got to her feet and moved for the door, her focus on her phone.

"I got to call Jason."

"I don't think so." He filled the doorway stopping Carly in her tracks.

****

~Durango~

"You really hate this don't you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes," Jason admitted honestly.

"I promise to be careful," she pledged and leaned against his shoulder.

Jason was a little surprised at her mood. Not only was she in a good mood, she also seemed to want to touch him. He wasn't complaining but he was a little surprised at her behavior.

"I know you will, I just don't like all the unknowns," he said finally.

"Life is full of unknowns Jason. I've finally realized that no one really plans their lives, because you never know what's going to happen, not really. You can prepare, you can make plans, you can have dreams, but you never know what will happen from day to day. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning you don't have any idea what will really go on during the day." She laughed suddenly startling him.

"What's so funny?"

"I sound like a fortune cookie," she giggled again.

"But you're right," he shifted.

Elizabeth shifted as well, lifting his arm she placed it over her shoulder and ducked under it to lean against his chest. "You're telling me that a lot these days."

He could hear the tease in her voice and smiled softly in response.

"I haven't seen that smile in awhile," she murmured.

"I haven't had a reason to smile," he answered honestly.

"Me neither."

They drifted into silence and Jason ran a hand through her hair, then repeated the process. Her breathing began to slow and he realized she was falling asleep. He hadn't realized how tired she really was, until that moment. Elizabeth jerked suddenly and the top of her head connected hard with his jaw, and both groaned.

"Ow," Elizabeth pulled back and rubbed her head.

"Ow yourself," he mumbled rubbing his painful jaw.

"Does it hurt?" She stopped rubbing her head to study him.

He immediately went to deny but catching sight of her eyes he changed his mind. "Yes."

"Poor baby, do you need me to kiss it and make it better?" She asked with a grin.

Surprised by the offer and curious to see if she would follow through he nodded.

Shifting as much as her seatbelt would let her, she pursed her lips and pressed them against his jaw. "Better?"

He nodded.

"Does anything else hurt?" 

She kept her hands on his face, her lips inches from his, her eyes searching his. Again he read something in her eyes that he didn't think he'd ever see again. "Yes."

"Where?" Without waiting for his reply she brought her lips closer to his.

The car slammed on the brakes just then and the only reason Elizabeth didn't go flying was because of his hold on her, and her seatbelt.

"Sorry," Francis called into the back but kept his eyes on the road. "A kid ran out in the middle of the road."

"It's okay," Elizabeth called back and shifted again until she was sitting in her seat again.

Jason felt his frustration begin to grow.

~*~*~*~*~

"Where the hell is he?" Nikolas snapped the question.

Sighing Jason closed off the memory and shrugged. Chris Ramsey was supposed to be here, yet he wasn't. It was looking like his feeling about Dr. Ramsey was right.

"Did someone here page me?" A weary Chris Ramsey came up to the nurse's station.

"I did."

Chris turned around and his easy smile faded when he saw who had spoken. "Well here I am."

"Come with me." Jason didn't phrase it as a question he merely took Chris' arm and pulled him away.

"Hey," Chris sputtered out and tried to pull away but couldn't break the grip on his arm.

"Dr. Ramsey?" Concerned the nurse called after him before reaching for the phone.

Nikolas covered her hand and smiled charmingly at her. "Don't worry they're friends. They just have one of those kinds of relationships."

"Are you sure?" The nurse asked doubtfully.

"Positive," smiling again Nikolas took a step back and bumped into Taggert.

"Where the hell is Morgan?" Taggert demanded.

****

~Basement~

"Tony," Carly hissed.

Dr. Tony Jones nodded and stepped into the small room. "I knew you were here I could smell your cheap perfume."

As always when confronted with her ex, her temper spiked and as usual she led with her mouth. "Where the hell is she?"

"Who?"

"Elizabeth you sick fuck," Carly snapped loudly.

The sound of her voice made him rub his pounding temples. "Somewhere safe."

Jarred by the distracted tone in his voice, Carly took a step back before she realized it. "What are you doing Tony? You know Jason will kill you for this."

"Jason," Tony snarled the name of his enemy gave him his focus again. "Jason will never know. I've taken Elizabeth away from him. She's safe now."

"You took her because of Jason?" Carly asked then gestured at the walls. "Then what is all of this?"

Tony stepped away from the door and looked at his walls, a soft smile creeping over his lips. "It's my memories. I have such nice memories of Elizabeth. These are my reminders." Bending down he pulled an old photo from his trash. "She couldn't hold a candle to Elizabeth."

Carly recognized a photo of Courtney. "You stalked Courtney too?"

"Daisy," he corrected. "She tried to pretend she was sweet but I saw her in that bar and I knew she wasn't. She reminded me of you, but then Elizabeth came back and I knew I didn't want Daisy not really."

Disturbed at the way he was talking Carly looked to the door. She needed to get Jason, he would break Tony in two, just like he should have years ago. His attention had moved back to the photos of Elizabeth and she slowly moved towards the door.

"Elizabeth tried to trick me once too. She was always so sweet when she waited on me in Kelly's. Always so nice and helpful, just like you were at first. Remember that? Oh Tony I love pizza, I have no one, you are such a great dad, I'd love to baby-sit Lucas for you, I don't have a family…" he threw her words of years ago at her. "Teaching me to rollerblade, stepping in for Bobbie every chance you got. You pretended to be so nice, so sweet," he crumpled the photo in his hand. "Just like Elizabeth. But I discovered the truth about her long before I did you."

Carly had reached the door but his words stilled her in her tracks.

"I saw who Elizabeth was in the park one night. Valentines Day. She was dressed in red, just like a true slut, she wasn't nice, she wasn't sweet, she was liar just like you. I wouldn't let her lie to me anymore."

Horrified Carly turned to look back at him. He couldn't be talking about… Elizabeth had said Tom Baker had raped her… but it sounded like Tony had. The thoughts were confusing and terrifying.

"I showed her that night that I knew who she really was. I showed her what happens to sluts like her." Rubbing at his temple again Tony turned around.

Carly could read the madness in his eyes, and wondered how he had hid it for so long. Turning abruptly she raced for the steps. She stumbled but kept her feet and made it up three steps before the gas can hit her in the head. Stunned she fell back and crashed hard on the cement floor.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Tony loomed over her.

Dazed Carly could barely focus. Tony reached down and picked her up by the shoulders and dragged her back inside the room.

"Dr. Jones are you okay?"

Hearing his landlady Tony dropped Carly on the threshold he moved back to the stairs. "I just dropped something Mrs. Lowen. Everything's fine."

"Okay, if I don't see you before you leave enjoy your vacation," the elderly woman called down the stairs.

"I will Mrs. Lowen." Humming under his breath Tony moved back towards Carly who was trying to crawl away, but there was nowhere she could go.

"You know you brought this on yourself, just like Elizabeth did. If both of you had been honest about who you really were, I wouldn't have to punish you like this. But you couldn't do that could you?" Tony moved past Carly to the trunk against the wall and unlocked it.

Carly tried to keep her eyes open but the pain in her head was so intense it was difficult for her. "Tony don't..."

"Now you'll beg?" He laughed and began pulling items out of the trunk. "You never beg Carly you wreck people. You blamed Bobbie, for wanting you to be raised in a house instead of on the streets with her, so you came to town with one purpose in mind, to destroy Bobbie's life. You achieved it for a while, you just used me to do it. You played me perfectly. A middle-aged man, still grieving for his lost daughter, in a work in progress marriage. I stood no chance against a schemer like you, a whore like you."

"Bobbie…"

"Don't talk to me about Bobbie," Tony yelled. "She kept my son away from me because of you. By the time I could see him again, he was full of stories about his new sister Carly, his nephew Michael, and Jason. Always Jason. He was my son. Michael was supposed to be my son."

Tony moved over and grabbed her by the shoulders again, giving them a hard shake, and Carly's head rolled. "You gave me the hope of being a father again, you let me believe for almost 9 months that I was going to be a father then you took that away from me. Do you know how cruel you are?" He shook her again.

Carly's head lolled on the side and her eyes fluttered closed. 

"I'm not going to lose anyone else to Jason. Elizabeth will never be with him, I won't let her. Surprisingly I was her first, even though she was a slut I was her first. That gives us a bond, and I won't let anyone break that bond."

"She hates you," Carly managed to hiss. "You raped her."

"It was not rape. It was vengeance. I saw you that night, do you know that? And then I saw her. She looked so much like you with a sweet expression on her face and her devious ways underneath." He picked her up and placed her in the trunk. "I was content with the memories and to just watch her. I knew she recognized me, I saw it in her eyes every time I saw her. But she went to Jason again, she had to be punished for that."

"Tony," she attempted to struggle but had no strength in her body and crumpled. Tony manipulated her arms and legs until she was entirely in the trunk.

"I wasn't going to see you again Carly. You have no more power over me, but I can't have you following me." Tony tilted her head and lowered the lid of the trunk.

"Tony," she gasped.

"You brought this on yourself years ago," Tony called through the chest then padlocked it. Humming again he rubbed at the pain in his temples, and pulled the string on the light bulb. Once the light faded so too did the pain. Moving towards the door he'd already forgotten the woman he'd just put in the trunk.

****

~Durango~

"Thanks," Elizabeth took Francis' hand and let him pull her out of the Durango. Once her feet were firm on the ground she let go of his hand and turned to wait for Jason.

"Park it in the lot over there," Jason ordered.

Nodding Francis moved to the driver's door.

"It's a beautiful fall day." Closing her eyes she tilted her head back.

Jason watched the sun play on her face turning her skin slightly golden for an instant. She opened her eyes and when she caught him staring at her she grinned at him. Taking his hand they took off for Kelly's at a slow, leisurely pace.

Habit had him scanning their surroundings and he let go of her hand long enough to move around her so he was next to the street, then picked up her hand again.

"Always the protector. I have to wonder who protects you?"

"I don't need anyone to protect me," he answered automatically. He heard Francis' footsteps behind them and breathed a little easier.

~*~*~*~*~

"I told you I don't know what you're talking about." Chris Ramsey repeated for what had to be the tenth time in five minutes.

Overloaded by the memories of Elizabeth Jason snapped, shoving Chris hard against the wall. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?" 

"Elizabeth." He pressed his forearm against the doctor's throat cutting off his air supply. "You better answer me."

Chris' eyes bulged as he gasped for breath. How was he supposed to answer if he couldn't even breathe? He tried to pull Jason's forearm away but the man pinning him to the wall was like an immovable piece of iron. Black spots began to dance in front of his eyes.

"Jason," Nikolas ran in the room and tried to pull him off the doctor, to no avail. Taggert and another officer entered after Nikolas and it took all three of them to finally make Jason go.

"Back off Morgan," Taggert shoved Jason halfway across the room. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to cuff Morgan and arrest him for assault, maybe even attempted murder. But the expression on Morgan's face stopped him. The mere fact that Morgan was expressing his emotions shook Taggert. In spite of the anger boy taunt he'd always used on Jason Morgan. Morgan was very good at spilling nothing, his face was normally an empty sheet, his eyes ice cold, but not at that moment.

"He knows where Elizabeth is," Jason clung to his belief that Ramsey had her. Because if Ramsey didn't that didn't leave him anybody else. Everyone else he'd considered had been cleared.

"It wasn't Ramsey," Taggert admitted finally and left his cuffs in his pocket. "I checked him out yesterday. He was in surgery when someone chased Elizabeth through the morgue."

"That's right," Chris coughed and rubbed at his sore neck. "I had to fill in for Dr. Jones who got sick," he coughed again. "You idiot."

"No," Jason shook his head, unwilling to give up his last lead.

"Yes." Taggert snapped angrily.

Defeated Jason turned his back on the room.

__

"That's a pity."

Hearing her sigh he looked over at her. "Why?"

"Because I was going to volunteer for the job," she informed him. 

Catching him by surprise, like she had been all morning, she rose to her toes and pressed her lips against his for a quick kiss. He barely had time to register the velvety softness against his lips before she stepped back.

"Peppermint," she licked her lips. "I approve." Taking his hand again she tugged hard to get him to start moving to Kelly's.

He made a mental note to buy more mouthwash and moved with her.

Elizabeth's image faded as the final memory played in his mind. She was gone and he had no idea who had taken her or how to get her back. He had let her down, again.

****

~Cabin~

Groggy though she was Elizabeth kept working on the hinge that was on the door. She'd managed to move it slightly, at least she thought she had. She had no idea how long she'd been in this room. She had no idea where she was at all, but she hadn't stopped trying to figure a way out of the room since she'd woken up.

The terror she'd felt upon awaking was still there right below the surface but she was doing her best not to give into the feeling. If she gave into her fear, into her panic, she was doomed. Her best weapon was her brain, at least that's what every self-defense instructor had told her. So she needed to be prepared.

The only problem was her brain was still a little foggy because of the chloroform that had been used on her. She had no idea if it had been chloroform, but that was what they always used in the movies so she thought it was. She focused on her task again and brought the now warped spoon up to the hinge and worked its tip under the edge and tried to push it up.

Jason would be proud of her if he could see how strong she was being. The spoon clattered to the ground and she hesitated before picking it up and trying again. She couldn't let herself think about Jason, at least not too much. Every time she did, she began to lose her focus, because she knew how worried he had to be about her, and how guilty he must be feeling. He'd blame himself for her being taken, even though it had been her idea to go to work and she didn't want that.

The room she was being held in was windowless, with only one door. A cot, a few shelves with nothing on them, a crate that had doubled as a bedside table, were the only pieces of furniture in the room. There had been a glass of water, in a plastic cup on the crate, as well as a sandwich, fruit, and a little pudding cup, with a spoon to go with it. So far the spoon was the only weapon she'd managed to come up with.

She'd wasted tons of time trying to use the spoon as a screwdriver in an attempt to take the cot apart to get to the metal bars to use one as a club. When she finally realized that wouldn't work, she'd gone to work on the hinges on the door. She was beginning to doubt that was going to work either.

The crate was rickety and rot from water damaged had rendered most of the wood useless, so if she hit someone with it, he'd never even feel it. The shelves were bolted to the wall, the cot to the floor, all she had to work with was her spoon.

__

"I watch Alias."

Her words of months ago came back to her and she wished she'd paid more attention to the season premiere and how Sydney had gotten out of the handcuffs in the chair.

The spoon clattered to the floor again when she heard sounds coming from the other side of the door. She remained frozen to the floor beside the door, listening hard as the sounds grew nearer. She could hear the faint sounds of humming and the noise of that made her move.

Getting to her feet she moved until she was across the room, putting as much distance between her and the door as possible. The useless spoon was once again tucked securely in her hand. Her breathing sped up when the doorknob rattled, the sound of keys clattering reached her ears. She was about to meet her kidnapper and she was scared to death.

The doorknob turned and the door was pushed open. The man who walked inside the room was unexpected, and her grip on the spoon relaxed sending it to the ground.

"I'm glad you're awake. We don't have much time."

"Dr. Jones," she whispered and knew the world had just gotten even stranger. 


	10. Memories of a madman

****

Babble: So either my sporadic posting efforts, or my no talented writing has spooked all of my readers away. 

__

Sigh

I think I'm going to cry. 

Well to those who actually did and do read my work, I hope this part might clear up any questions you have as to my little twist in the last part. There's only one part left if anyone is still interested.

Happy Holidays to all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part X

****

~General Hospital~

"So whom does that leave us with?" Nikolas asked. Like Jason he had been counting on Dr. Ramsey being the stalker. No other names had been mentioned, so he had no idea where to go from here. Judging from Jason's expression, he didn't know either, and that terrified him.

Taggert stepped away from a coughing and complaining Dr. Ramsey. "We still have the nurse, she's trying to identify the orderly who gave her the fake note from Audrey Hardy. The only problem is the nurse is new to the hospital, and there are several hundred employees to choose from, she's going through the photos now."

"Photos won't mean a damn if the guy never worked here at all and was just dressed like an orderly," Jason pointed out coldly.

"We are prepared for that, a sketch artist has been placed on alert," Detective Capelli answered with a glare at the mobster. Why Taggert was letting Morgan hang around at all was beyond him, but he knew he didn't like it.

"I'm suing," Chris managed to get the words out of his bruised throat. "You are a menace," he glared at Jason.

"Do you really want to do that Dr. Ramsey?" Nikolas asked casually. "This was a unique situation, stress leads people to behave in ways they normally wouldn't. I don't think they should be punished for that."

Chris thought about retorting then realized whom he'd be mouthing off too. Since Helena and Stefan Cassadine had left the hospital board, Nikolas Cassadine was the head person at the hospital. Everyone knew he was the one who funded most of the hospital research grants, not to mention underwriting certain programs. Nikolas Cassadine would be a good person to have owe him a favor, in the future. Chris nodded. "I suppose your right."

Nikolas nodded and turned away. He wasn't sure why he had just stepped in to help Jason Morgan. It wasn't that he had consciously planned to do it, he was as surprised as anyone when the words came out of his mouth. But he'd done it, and judging from the calculation he saw in the doctor's eyes, this little favor may come back to haunt him at some point. He met Jason's steely gaze, shrugged, and Jason turned away.

"Detective?" A dark-haired nurse entered the waiting room and came to a quick halt when she spied a glowering Jason.

Detective Capelli quickly crossed over to her. "Nurse Barty, did you find something?"

"Uh," her eyes stayed on Jason who had moved closer, and she couldn't help remember how scary he had been the day before.

Realizing the problem Nikolas stepped in front of Jason stopping his advance, and smiled at the nurse. "Nurse Barty it's so nice to see you again."

The nurse nodded, breathing a little easier she focused on the Detective. "I found the orderly who gave me the message yesterday."

"Good," Capelli pulled out his notepad. "What's his name?"

"It's Brad," the nurse gestured behind her. "I didn't find his picture I saw him walk by the staff room, so I brought him up here."

Several pairs of eyes turned to focus on the young looking orderly with dreadlocks, earrings, and tattoos that were visible under the green sleeves of his scrubs. Comfortable with being stared at Brad merely grinned and offered a flippant. "Hey."

Taggert jerked his head and Capelli moved to the nurse and began guiding her away, while he closed the distance on the orderly. "I want to talk to you about a message you delivered yesterday."

"Dude I deliver a lot of messages," Brad answered in a bored voice. "You're going to have to be more specific."

Jason recognized the sarcastic attitude of the orderly. It was one that a lot of their young runners had with the police, not to mention everyone else, and he had no time for it. Moving around Nikolas he came to a stop beside Taggert.

Brad's eyes widened in recognition and his expression lost the amused look. "Which message?" He asked seriously, all flippancy gone.

"I need to know about the ones you gave to Nurse Barty yesterday, especially the one that was for Elizabeth Webber, and was supposedly from Audrey Hardy."

"Elizabeth Webber?" Brad began to wilt under the cold gaze of Jason Morgan, and barely restrained the urge to wipe the sudden moisture from his brow. Racking his brain he tried to remember the message they were talking about.

"Yes you included a description of her, when you gave the nurse the message," Taggert prompted. Since he had no choice he had decided to use Jason's silent intimidator routine, he took a slight step back, so Jason was the orderly's primary focus.

Brad was busily wishing he had taken that extra perocet pill his roomie had offered him that morning, it would have definitely taken the edge off. "I gave her messages from administration, from ER, from…" he trailed off. "You know yesterday was a long time ago."

"Brad let's take a walk," Taggert took the orderly's arm, pulled him onto his feet and led him out of earshot of the others. "Listen you little pothead piece of shit. You're going to focus for me, your going push all those dead brain cells in your head out of the way and you're going to remember who gave you the message."

"What pot?" Brad asked lamely and Taggert squeezed his arm until he yelped.

"You reek of pot man, pot and I don't want to know what else, and I don't have time for you to come down off of your high, so this is what you're going to do. You're going to tell me what I want to know. Because if you don't I'm going to let that man over there, talk to you, all by himself," he jerked his head in Jason's direction. "He just got done talking to the doctor over there," he jerked his head at Chris, who was still rubbing his red throat. "Am I making myself clear?"

Paling Brad nodded and began to move back into the room. "You said I included a description?"

"Petite, brown hair, blue eyes, really pretty," Taggert repeated the message. "Wearing a gray coat."

"Oh her," Brad nodded as the memory finally came.

"Who gave you the description?" Taggert asked.

"It was that doctor, the one who's always in a bad mood and yelling at people." Brad tugged on one of his dred's in a nervous habit.

"A lot of doctor's fit that description," Chris couldn't help but point out.

"I know, you do," Brad retorted. "He's an old guy, fat, hums a lot. He's always in scrubs, so maybe he's a surgeon?"

Part of that description triggered Chris' memory. "Do you mean Dr. Jones?"

"Jones," Brad snapped his fingers. "That's the dude. He caught me on 8 and gave me some films to take back to radiology, then told me to deliver this envelope to 6, for some old lady who couldn't do it. He gave me the description. I remember thinking she sounded like a Betty."

"Get me a picture of Tony Jones, just to be sure," Taggert ordered Capelli, who nodded and withdrew.

Tony Jones, the name reverberated in Jason's brain. Turning his back on the group he moved to the window and tried to piece things together. Tony Jones was someone he was always aware of peripherally, because of what he'd done to Michael, to Carly, to Robin. But other than that he barely paid the man any attention at all. When was the last time he'd seen Tony?

__

"Another one of your victims Jason?" Tony demanded loudly. "They seem to keep getting younger and more innocent. You won't stop until you destroy everyone's lives will you?"

"Tony," Bobbie whirled on him in warning.

__

"Do you ever not whine? Since I've met you, or rather since I met Lucky, he's told me about how you blamed everyone else for what you did. So do you ever not whine?" Elizabeth asked the doctor.

Tony's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"I mean you kidnapped two people and were never punished for it, I'd think you'd be grateful instead of whining all the time." Elizabeth went on.

"We better go," Jason took her arm trying to lead her away.

"Think about it Jason, the only reason he's alive at all is because you let him live, you'd think he'd get a clue," Elizabeth continued. "Are you sure he's a neuron, a nucleo, a surgeon? I thought doctor's were supposed to be smart," she eyed her doctor. "Aren't they?"

"I always thought so," Chris Ramsey agreed.

"That's what I thought. Whoa," she giggled when Jason put his arm around her waist and forced her to move. "Bye-Bye."

Remembering the exchange now he could remember the brief flash of hate that had appeared in Tony's eyes.

"You know the reason I was in surgery yesterday when Elizabeth was being chased in the morgue, was because Dr. Jones said he was sick," Chris pointed out.

"Why would he do this?" Nikolas asked.

Nikolas' question sparked more memories in Jason. The messages that Elizabeth had received, had been focused solely on her, until he had been around her. Once he was the messages had changed, they were still keyed on her, but they also mentioned his hate of Jason.

__

"You need to stay away from Jason though. I tolerated your dalliance with Lucky but I won't with him. You're mine Elizabeth, from the minute you put on your harlot's dress you became mine. Now remember … not a word … about this to anyone."

***

"I warned you about Jason didn't I? But you didn't listen to me. You are just a slut. I'll bet your spreading your legs for him right now. I won't have that Elizabeth. You need to be punished. You will be punished."

***

"You're wearing his clothes? What did the thug tear yours off of you? I didn't break you in to let Jason Morgan have you. You will regret this Elizabeth."

***

"I don't know how much plainer I have to be, before it sinks into that stupid brain of yours. I've told you repeatedly to stay away from Jason, yet you continually ignore me. I can't have that. You need to be taught a lesson."

***

"I only wanted to get Jason, but look how many other people I hurt, or I should say you hurt. It's all your fault. If you had just followed the rules I wouldn't have had to hurt anybody. Maybe you're the brain damaged one. I know you're with him still. You never learn do you?"

***

"I'm so disappointed in you Elizabeth I thought you cared about people. But your actions continually convince me that you don't. I'll give you one more chance. Make Jason leave, and I won't hurt anyone else. But if you stay with him, you'll regret it."

"The messages," Jason met Taggert's eyes and the cop nodded, he'd come to the same conclusion. "Tony hates me."

"Yes that was the guy who gave me the message," Brad confirmed it by pointing at a picture of Tony Jones.

"Where is Tony Jones now?" Taggert asked. "We need to page him." Capelli nodded and disappeared again.

"He's on vacation," Chris stood up. "I spoke to him about 2 hours ago, by the nurses' station. He was giving me the final rundown on some of his patients. He's gone for 2 weeks, I don't know where."

"Bobbie ate the chocolates, and Lucas was there, his son was there, when you brought in the chocolates," Nikolas pointed out. "He wouldn't have poisoned them would he?"

"Lucas is a diabetic, he wouldn't eat the chocolate no matter what," Jason answered simply.

"Dr. Jones has already left the hospital," Capelli confirmed. "He's going out of the country and was supposed to call in a number once he reached his destination."

"Would Tony have snatched Elizabeth to punish you?" Nikolas asked then immediately shook his head. "But how would he have known about her history?" He lowered his voice. "Bobbie knew of course, but her and Tony were divorced and weren't even speaking when Elizabeth was attacked."

"No," Jason disagreed. "They were divorced but they were still talking. Bobbie didn't shut Tony out until he kidnapped Michael."

"He did that to punish you and Carly didn't he?" Nikolas remembered a day in the park when his lunch with Robin had went bad because of Dr. Jones. 

"How is Carly?" Chris perked up at the mention of the blonde. "I saw her go racing out of here, a few hours ago. I tried to stop her, but she took off down the stairs."

"When was this?" Jason began to get an uneasy feeling.

"The same time I was talking to Dr. Jones, I saw her run for the stairs just after Tony got on the elevator to leave," Chris explained.

"You don't think," Nikolas began.

"Jason," a slightly out of breath Francis Carnivale moved into the waiting room and headed directly for his boss. "Sonny's been trying to reach you."

"I don't have time…"

"It's about Tom Baker," Francis interrupted Jason. "He had Benny doing some deep checks on Baker, he found out that someone has been paying Baker $500 a month for years now, ever since he went to Pentonville."

"Who?" Jason asked even though he had an idea who it was.

Francis looked past him to Taggert who was listening. "Jason?"

"Who?" Jason repeated.

"Tony Jones. He's been paying Baker $500 a month for years now," Francis admitted in a rush.

Taggert turned to Capelli. "Place an APB on Tony Jones and get me an address." He turned back around but Jason, Nikolas and Francis were already halfway to the stairs.

"You know you might need a doctor," Chris pointed out.

"Then you better come along," Taggert hurried for the elevator.

Chris' gossip instincts and insatiable curiosity was humming so he followed the police to the elevator. If Jones was out of rotation in Neurosurgery, that could only help his career as well. He began to hum, then thought of Tony, and stopped, deciding to grin instead.

~*~*~*~*~

Jason led the way out of the stairwell, the phone that he'd turned off out of habit when he'd entered the hospital, was in his hand and on. "I need an address for Tony Jones." He announced and opened the doors that led to the street.

"I already got it," Francis ran around to the driver's seat and got inside the Durango. "Sonny wanted you to call him."

Nodding Jason got in the truck, the same time Nikolas climbed in the back. Francis didn't even wait for the doors to close before he put the truck in gear and took off. Before Jason could dial the phone, it rang in his hand, signaling voice mail. Jason hesitated then hit the button to retrieve his messages. Hearing Carly's voice he almost hit the button to move to the next message when her words stopped him.

__

"Jason you may not believe this but I have an idea of who took Elizabeth. I saw something at the hospital, that makes me think," Carly hesitated. "I won't tell you who, because you probably won't believe me. I'm going to check some things out then call you back. Yes I'll be careful."

"Shit Carly what the hell are you doing," Jason muttered. The next message clicked on and he breathed easier when he heard Carly's voice again.

__

"Jason why the hell aren't you answering your phone?" Carly demanded then sighed. "Look while I was at the hospital I saw what I thought was Elizabeth's scarf, the one she was wearing this morning. The guy who had it was Tony. I'm at his place now, and I'm going to check it out. I know you probably think this is just my Tony hate talking, but I know that was her scarf in his pocket. I just wanted you to know what I'm doing. I'll call you after I check things out."

"Francis drive faster." Jason ordered and the next message clicked on. Hearing Sonny's voice he skipped the message, the next one was also from Sonny and that was the last one. Glancing at his watch he realized Carly's message had come over an hour and a half ago. She should have called back before now.

"What happened?" Nikolas asked from the backseat.

"Carly she thought she saw Tony with Elizabeth's scarf and followed him," he explained briefly and dialed Sonny.

__

"Hello."

"It's me."

__

"Did you get my message?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, are you sure?" Jason asked.

__

"Benny confirmed it, I just found out that after your little visit last night, Baker requested a phone call. I called in a few favors, and found out that the person he tried to call was Tony Jones, the guard we talked too, said he was not happy when he couldn't reach Jones."

The noose was slowly tightening around Tony's neck, and the tighter it got the more concerned Jason grew. He was the one who had been a witness to how out of control Tony had gotten when he'd taken Michael and Robin. Robin had been blinded by her memories of Tony, but he'd seen the madness in the doctor's eyes. The madness and the hate. Tony had taken Michael, after Elizabeth's rape. Did he work himself up to kidnapping, by raping first?

__

"Are you sure?" 

"What?" Jason asked in confusion.

__

"Sorry I was talking to Benny," Sonny turned to look at his fact finder who nodded in confirmation. "He just found out that the first week Baker was at Pentonville he had a visitor. It was Tony Jones. He was only there once, but a deposit was made into Baker's account the next day. It sounds like blackmail, but I have no idea what Baker could have on Tony."

Feeling sick to his stomach Jason had an idea, and if he was right, it meant that Elizabeth was in even more trouble than he'd originally thought.

__

"I'll keep digging," Sonny offered.

"See if you can find out where Tony was on Valentines Day, 1998, this would have been a few weeks before he took Michael," Jason asked and heard Nikolas sudden sharp inhalation of breath behind him.

__

"Okay but that is a while ago," Sonny pointed out.

"Wait. Carly saw something at the hospital that made her think it was Tony who took Elizabeth. She followed him to his house, she left me a message that she was going to check it out, but she never called me back. That was almost 2 hours ago."

__

"What?" Sonny shot to his feet. "Why didn't she call me?"

"She probably thought you wouldn't care, you have been wrapped up with Brenda and Alcazar," Jason pointed out. "Look I'm almost there I'll call you."

__

"I'm on my way." Sonny began moving to the door.

"Thanks," Jason said shortly.

__

"I thought it was time to act like your friend again," Sonny explained just as briefly. He knew he had a long ways to go to make up for things, but it was a start. "You need to find her."

"Look I'll find Carly, but my focus is Elizabeth," Jason snapped and prepared to end the call.

__

"I meant Elizabeth," Sonny corrected and hung up. He couldn't help but feel stung my Jason's words, but then realized he probably deserved them. He also probably deserved the remarks about Brenda and Carly as well. Turning to Benny he decided there was another small token he could do for Jason. "I need you to make some plans for Tom Baker."

****

~Tony's Apartment~

Taggert pounded up the stairs. "Hold it Morgan, we don't have a warrant, you can't just break in."

Jason didn't even spare him a look. He reached out and tried the door but it was locked.

"Back off," Taggert yanked Jason back. "We need to do this by the book, if you can't handle that then you can leave."

"He should have left a long time ago," Capelli muttered.

"Elizabeth could be behind this door, right now," Jason pointed out.

"According to the landlady, Tony has already left. Do you really think he'd leave town without Elizabeth? If it is him that took her?" Taggert questioned.

Shifting Jason plowed his fist into the wall barely missing Nikolas' head. "We don't know what he's done."

"Let me get the landlady," Taggert turned to head back down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jason demanded of Chris. "You want to be here in case you have to drug Elizabeth again?"

"Jason," Nikolas placed a restraining hand on Jason's arm who was getting angrier by the second.

"You were always present with drugs the last few days," Jason stepped closer to Chris who backed off a step. "Maybe you're working with Tony."

"I'm not," Chris began nervously. "Hey," he gulped when Jason grabbed his shirt and yanked him to his toes. "Be reasonable."

"Jason put him down," Nikolas ordered.

"Fine," Jason snapped and threw Chris backwards away from him as hard as he could. Chris crashed hard into Tony's locked apartment door, and the door and the lock gave under the impact. The old door caved in exposing the apartment beyond.

Stunned Chris staggered away from the door rubbing his head.

"If the door's open you don't need a warrant do you?" A suddenly calm Jason asked and moved inside the apartment.

Nikolas couldn't help but smirk as he moved inside the apartment after Jason. There were moments that it was fun to be around Jason Morgan. Reacting to that realization, Nikolas' smile fell from his face.

The only reason he hadn't arrested Morgan was because of Elizabeth, at least that was what Taggert kept reminding himself. He refused to be impressed by the legal way that Morgan had found his way around the warrant rule, and in front of cops to boot. Even Dara wouldn't be able to find fault with that move.

Capelli wasn't quite as open minded as his more experienced partner. He was itching to slap the cuffs on Jason Morgan, but for some reason the Lieutenant wasn't letting him. Frowning he moved inside the room, determined not to take his eyes off of Morgan.

"Oh that's okay I'm fine I'm just bleeding," Chris called out sarcastically when he found himself alone in the hall.

****

~Cabin~

"Dr. Jones?" Elizabeth whispered unsure of what she was seeing she blinked trying to clear the image from her eyes, but Tony Jones remained in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" Tony stepped closer and took her arm to check her pulse. "Are you having any aftereffects to the drugs? Any headaches or blurred vision?"

Elizabeth's mouth worked but nothing came out.

Tony shifted and looked at the crate. "You should have eaten, I left you the sandwich because I knew you'd be hungry. But at least you drank, I imagine your mouth was pretty dry when you woke up."

"You drugged me?" Elizabeth managed.

"Yes," Tony kept his eyes on his watch, while feeling her pulse. "It was the only way I could get you to come with me."

"Why?" Clinging to her disbelief Elizabeth tried to stave off the horror she was slowly beginning to feel. Her skin began to crawl under his fingers and it took a lot not to pull away.

"You know why Elizabeth," Tony met her eyes and smiled softly at her. "It's always been between us. Don't pretend now."

"What has been between us?" Elizabeth yanked her arm away from him.

"Don't be like this Elizabeth," Tony sighed. "I know you recognized me. You've always recognized me. We couldn't have a night like we did and you not remember."

Elizabeth shook her head immediately to deny the words.

"There's no need to pretend anymore Elizabeth, I know you for who you really are, and I accept you." Tony reached out to touch her face but she jerked back. Frowning Tony moved closer. "I told you to stop pretending. Why do women always pretend with me? Bobbie, Carly, you, you all pretend, but no more, I've known who you were since Valentine's Day." 

"Valentine's Day?" Elizabeth repeated numbly. The horror of his words made her feel sick to her stomach. He couldn't mean what she thought.

"I saw you walk into the park, huddled in your black coat, just flashes of red to tease as you walked. A popcorn box in your hand that you could care less about, because you kept dropping kernels as you moved, sort of like you were leaving a path for me to follow." Tony mused.

Gasping Elizabeth began to sink to her knees.

"Of course I had to follow, and you took your seat on the bench, and posed for me. The heavy makeup, the red harlot dress, you weren't playing that night were you? That night the real Elizabeth came out to play, not the pretend one that used to wait on me in Kelly's, with the phony smile on her face, the fake sweetness and respectful act." 

Ignorant of the horrified expression on Elizabeth's face, Tony continued his trip down memory lane.

"I realized that you were in fact like Carly. You were a whore like Carly, you pretended to be one way when in fact you were another. But I saw through you," he crouched in front of her. "You smiled do you know that? Sure you screamed and struggled, but I saw you smile when you were on the ground in the bushes."

"No," she shook her head in denial. "T-tom Baker."

"You knew it wasn't Baker. I told you Elizabeth, you don't have to pretend anymore," Tony reminded her sharply. "You recognized me you had too, that night meant to much," he reached out and brushed a strand of her hair from her face. "It meant so much to me I know it did to you as well."

Sickened Elizabeth shook her head. If it wasn't Tom Baker, if what Tony was saying was the truth, then she was alone in a room with her rapist. She didn't know if she was strong enough to handle that so she tried to deny.

"How stupid are you?" Tony snapped angrily, rubbing at his throbbing temples, he went on. "Baker was there I'll give him that. We talked."

"What?"

"He called me from Pentonville," Tony began his explanation. "He told me he knew it was me in the park. Of course he called it rape but we know better don't we?" He smiled at her again.

__

"She was screaming and fighting you, begging to be let go," Tom said. "You ignored her, drug her in the bushes and threw her to the ground. Your technique was a bit rough, but you got the hang of it. Of course she was so much smaller than you, there wasn't much a fight."

Tony shook his head trying to shake off the convicted criminals words. But the words were painting images in his mind. Images that played like memories to him. How could the words be a lie if they felt so familiar?

"You whispered not a word, and took her. I don't really blame you," Tom sat back in his seat. "Elizabeth's a looker, I was eyeing her myself, but you made your move before I could. So I just watched the show instead."

"You're crazy and I'm not going to listen to these lies anymore," Tony got to his feet.

"You might want to rethink that Doc, or are you still a doctor?" Tom called after him. "I heard you almost had a one way ticket here to Pentonville yourself, and the only reason you didn't was because of a legal technicality. I bet the police will be real interested to know what I know about you."

"Like the police will believe the word of a convicted felon," Tony bravely shot back. The name Elizabeth had triggered memories of the waitress at Kelly's and more. But he shook his head trying to deny them.

"You're right maybe the police won't, but other people will. You had two women testify at your trial didn't you? A Felicia Jones and Robin Scorpio, they testified on your behalf. Do you think they would have been so helpful if they knew you'd raped a teenager a few months before? How about your ex-wife she doesn't let you see your son does she? Rape is a nasty, nasty word for women, they band together because of it." Tom pointed out.

Tony wanted to walk out the room and call Baker's threat. But the longer he stood there the more he remembered. He remembered how cold Valentine's night had been, he remembered the wetness that had seeped into his trousers because of the time he spent on the ground. He was beginning to remember terrified blue eyes looking up at him, until they glazed over and awareness left them entirely.

Sinking back in his chair he had a memory of a mixture of scents, strawberry and vanilla, which were out of place in a cold winter night in a park. Yet it had come from the girl underneath him, the girl who fought him, who begged him to stop. The throbbing in his temples grew and he rubbed at them absently as more and more memories hit him.

"What's the matter Doc? Don't like this little trip down memory lane?" Tom jeered.

"What do you want?"

"The girl, Elizabeth, she thinks I'm the one who did it," he grinned. "I loved playing with her head like that. Since the police have no evidence that I did it, and won't have any, because I didn't do it, I'll never be charged. But if you want me to keep quiet you're going to have the pony up the cash."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Tony demanded.

"Don't act so morally outraged doc. You raped the girl. You broke her in and left her bleeding in the snow, you don't have a moral leg to stand on." Tom leaned closer to Tony. "And you're going to give me money or I'll start telling the story of what really happened that cold night in February to everyone who will listen. The cops are already pissed that their kidnapping case against you went south, the DA is too, and I heard it was a mobster's kid you snatched, so I'm betting he might be interested in my story as well. I'll keep talking and giving details, until someone listens, and someone believes. How long do you think it will take before this gets back to your ex and you never see your son again?"

"How much?" Tony asked and sealed his fate right then and there by throwing in with the devil.

"Elizabeth don't cry," Tony focused on the woman in front of him who had buried her head in her hands. "I didn't mean to forget our night together. Really I didn't, it was just that time was so crazy. With Carly and Michael, I forgot for a while, but once Baker reminded me, all the memories came back, and I began watching you. I knew we were connected because of that beautiful night we made love."

"You raped me," she hissed through her hands.

"Don't call it that," Tony cried.

"You raped me." Lifting her head Elizabeth screamed the words in his face. "Are you going to try it again? Is that why you kidnapped me?"

Jarred by the loud words Tony rubbed his temples. "I'm saving you. You were getting involved with Jason Morgan. I wouldn't let him touch you. He's a monster."

"You're the monster, Jason is a man, but you wouldn't know about being a man would you?"

"Don't say that," Tony cried. "I was not about to let Jason Morgan take someone else from me, especially not you, not after everything we've shared."

"We didn't share anything, you raped me." Elizabeth shrieked. "You pulled me off a bench, threw me in the bushes and forced yourself inside of my body. There was no sharing, only pain, and violation. You are a monster."

"Don't say that," Tony begged.

"A monster. You deserve to die," Elizabeth hissed. Shifting to her knees she inched closer to Tony. "Did you like hearing me beg? Did it make you feel powerful when I cried?"

"Don't," Tony shook his head.

Furious Elizabeth lashed out, springing to her feet she hit Tony in the shoulder driving him back into the cot. The cot, being bolted to the ground refused to yield and Tony yelped in pain. Elizabeth never hesitated she ran for the open door, and the hope of freedom beyond. Entering the hallway she looked right, and saw a wall, turning she began running to the door at the end of the hall on her left. 

Reaching the door she tried to open it but it was locked. Pounding on it in frustration Elizabeth screamed for help. She wrapped both hands around the doorknob and tugged as hard as she could only to scream again when Tony grabbed her from behind. He tugged on her waist until her hands slipped free of the doorknob and began dragging her back inside the room. Memories of the night in February assailed her, and she couldn't help but remember the helplessness she'd felt the last time he'd dragged her away.

"No," her scream echoed loudly in the hall.

****

~Tony's Apartment~

"There's no sign that Elizabeth was ever in the apartment at all," playing devil's advocate Capelli pointed out some facts to his superior. "The landlady confirms that other than his son, Tony Jones has never had any visitors here."

"That in itself tells me something," Taggert muttered and trailed the others down the stairs.

Frustrated, Jason yanked out his phone and placed a call to Carly's cell. The faint sound of ringing reached his ears and he ignored it, until he realized it stopped the same instant Carly's voice mail clicked on. Holding up his hand for silence, Jason dialed again and the same sound of ringing reached his ears. Turning away from the door he headed for the back of the stairs and found a door there. "Where does this lead?" He asked the landlady. 

"The laundry is down there," Mrs. Lowen explained.

"Does Dr. Jones have access to this room?" Taggert asked.

"Of course he does, he's such a nice man, he even does my laundry for me at times, so I won't have to do the stairs."

Jason yanked the door open and headed down the stairs. He saw a purse, which he recognized as Carly's lying at the base of the stairs and raced the rest of the way down. Her phone was lying on the ground a few feet away near a closed door.

Chris took one look at the closed door then Jason, and stepped backwards until he was behind Detective Capelli.

"Mrs. Lowen this door down here where does it go?" Taggert called up the stairs.

"It's just storage for the tenants, I don't think anyone is using it right now."

"Do you have a key?" Taggert called.

"It's not locked," Jason announced and turned the handle. A dark room greeted him and he moved further inside until he found the pull string for the light. Any doubts he might have still had fled the instant he saw the pictures on the wall.

"Shit," Capelli muttered. "It looks like Jones is our guy. But the question is where is he?"

Jason's eyes were locked on the trunk against the far wall. Moving until he crouched in front of it, he knocked on the outside. "Is anyone in there?"

There was quiet in the room while they awaited the reply, but no answer came from inside the trunk. Frustrated and growing more fearful by the moment, Jason stood and picked up a shovel that was resting against the wall and turned back to the trunk.

Capelli intercepted him. "You can't break into the trunk. There could be evidence in there, evidence that we won't be able to use if you break into it."

Taggert sighed wearily. "He's right, I'll call for a warrant."

"Fuck that," Jason brushed past the detective.

"I'm warning you Morgan," Capelli reached for his gun. "Drop the shovel and back away."

"Excuse me," Chris tried to interrupt.

"You want to stop me? Then shoot me," Jason informed the cops coldly.

"Don't tempt me," Capelli retorted.

"Excuse me," Chris tried again, louder this time but the only one who turned to look was Nikolas.

"I'm opening the trunk," Jason announced.

"Damn'it Morgan," Taggert snapped.

"Will everyone shut up?" Chris yelled. "Someone is moaning, and that someone is inside the trunk."

Chris' words spurred everyone into action. Capelli stopped his posturing and moved out of the way, while Jason stepped to the trunk and placed the shovel on the padlock, trying to break the lock by driving down on it. The lock refused to budge.

"Do we risk shooting it off?" Taggert asked.

"No, it's too close," Jason answered immediately. "Give me your weight." Taggert gripped the shovel as best as he could. "On three, one, two…" On three the cop and the mobster worked together by using all their strength and bodyweight to apply pressure to the padlock. The lock stretched until the tumblers finally gave into gravity and ripped free. Dropping the shovel, Jason ripped the broken pieces of the lock out of the way and opened the trunk in one fluid motion. Blonde hair greeted him instead of brown, but the disappointment lasted only a second, before concern settled in.

"Be careful, she could have a head or neck injury," Chris pushed past Taggert and reached carefully inside to check Carly.

Capelli brought the radio to his lips but when he got no sound he stepped out into the basement. "This is 55 Charlie we need bus at our current address."

"We need to get her out of there," Jason muttered.

"Just a minute," Chris ran his fingers through her hair, bringing them out they came back bloody. "There's a minor deformity in the back of the skull, the neck seems in alignment. Let's move her out, so I can get a better look at her. We need to pick her up at the same time, and try not to move her anymore than we have too," Chris looked past Jason to Nikolas. "Come around to the other side and when you can get your hands under her body and support her back, try to keep it as straight as possible."

"I'll do that," Jason decided. "You take her feet," he ordered Nikolas, knowing that keeping the spine straight would be critical if she did have a neck injury.

"On three." The men took their position around the trunk and on three they lifted the blonde as carefully as possible, yet Carly still moaned in pain. They laid her down gently on the cold concrete floor. Chris immediately began checking for more injuries while Jason crouched by her head.

"You're going to be fine," he promised her when he saw her eyes were open. Her eyes looked dazed, the pupils were slow to react and another level of worry opened inside of him.

"Jase…" Carly was caught between dream and reality, the pain in her head subsiding into numbness at the moment.

"I'm right here," he took her hand and squeezed it. "You're going to be fine."

Knowing he'd never lied to her Carly's worry decreased. "Tony."

"Shhh, don't talk," Jason whispered. "I know it was Tony."

"No," without thinking Carly shook her head and let out a scream of pain.

"Carly you can't move." Jason informed her quickly. He brushed the hair from her eyes. "Just stay calm."

"I have too," tears trickled from her eyes. 

"Okay tell me," Jason knew he had to calm her down.

"It was Tony all the time."

"You mean he's the stalker?" Jason questioned. "I know that."

"Not only that." Clear thought was difficult for her but the need to tell Jason what she'd found out had kept her conscious during her time in the trunk. He needed to know it all. "Tony, he was the one who raped her."

"Baker."

"No, he told me, he said Elizabeth reminded him of me, because of what she was wearing," Carly explained and the tears fell quicker. "He hurt her because he couldn't get to me."

Jason closed his eyes as the final piece fell into place.

"Carly," Taggert moved into her field of vision. "Was Tony the person who locked you in the trunk?"

"Yes," Carly shifted her eyes back to Jason. "It's my fault."

"No," Jason swallowed hard. "It's Tony's fault, no one else's."

"He's crazy," Carly whispered. "You have to find her. The cabin…" she trailed off.

Jason nodded, shifted down and kissed her cheek. "I'll stop him."

Carly's eyes closed and he got to his feet and turned around. "Francis you stay with her." The guard nodded and his gaze moved on. "How bad?"

Chris sighed. "Concussion, I don't like the cast her left eye is taking, she's lucid, but there could still be some swelling of the brain. We need to get her to the hospital and get a cat scan."

"Her husband will be there." Jason's eyes moved to Francis who nodded and stepped out into the basement to make the call.

"Morgan where are you going?" Taggert called when Jason headed for the door. He wasn't surprised to see Nikolas follow Morgan, and ignore him entirely. "Stay here with Carly," he ordered Capelli. "Once the warrant comes through, search everything with a fine tooth comb."

"Lieutenant are you sure you should go alone?" Capelli asked. "Morgan's almost out of control. He'll turn on you in a heartbeat."

"Do your job Detective," Taggert ordered and took off up the stairs.

"Hello there gorgeous," Chris said when Carly's eyes opened. "You'll do anything to get near me won't you?"

Frowning Francis moved closer to Carly to keep an eye on the doctor.

~*~*~*~*~

"Morgan stop." Taggert yelled but Jason kept moving. Putting on a burst of speed he reached the back of the Durango just as Jason started it.

"What the hell?" Nikolas asked when the right side of the Durango sagged.

Furious Jason got out of the truck. Taggert stepped back and closed his switchblade. "What the hell are you doing?" Jason demanded.

"I'll drive. You direct me to the cabin." Taggert ordered. "It's either that or I'll go by myself and you can find a car to take."

"Fight about this in the car," Nikolas ordered and headed for the waiting unmarked police car. "While you two are busy fighting, Tony is alone with Elizabeth."

Nikolas' words spurred Jason into movement and he jogged to the car. He knew exactly where Tony's cabin was, and how to get there quickly. Only this time, he wasn't going let Tony leave the cabin alive.

****

~Car~

"Ouch," Elizabeth brought her knuckles to her mouth and sucked on the throbbing skin she'd just scraped for a minute, before going back to work. Her initial terror over being confronted with her real rapist had faded. It was still there, lurking in the back of her mind, but she had battled the terror back. Her anger had helped her remain focused. Tony's recounting of what had happened was another thing that kept her focused. He really believed what he was saying that meant he was truly insane.

The spoon, which she was never, ever going to get rid of, was back in her hand and she shifted again. The trunk was empty except for her, a water bottle, a penlight, and a blanket. Tony had wanted to make her comfortable during the trip. He alternated between calling a whore, and being polite to her. She had to get away from him before they reached their destination, if she didn't…

Shaking her head she banished that thought. She'd thought he was going to rape her earlier, when he'd drug her back inside that windowless room. And she had fought him with every step he took. But like it had been years ago, his superior strength had won out again. She hadn't given up though, she hadn't given into her fears or her tears, she had fought and cursed him screaming anything she could think of. The noise she made seemed to hurt Tony, because he let her go and backed out of the room, locking it behind him.

Elizabeth rode the wave of fury as long as she could, using it to work on the hinges of the door again. But he'd caught her by surprise. She'd stepped away from the door to take a drink and he'd burst inside of it. Before she could react he had his arms around her, and placed a piece of plastic over her wrists tying them together. Her struggles proved fruitless and he'd placed her in the trunk.

Tony had been in his nice mood at that moment, so he'd cut the plastic off of her hands, freeing them. But he'd warned her that he would be stopping eventually and when he did he'd not only tie her up he'd gag her as well, before they crossed the border. His words inspired her self-preservation instincts and the instant the trunk lid had closed she went to work on getting out of the trunk.

"Ow," she cried out again, and yanked her hand back when her knuckle began to throb. She was about to go back to work when she felt fresh air on her face. Surprised she moved her face as close to the taillight she'd been working on as she could. She had finally managed to yank the bulb out of it. Grabbing the blanket, she worked an edge of the blanket through the hole she'd created in the taillight and worked a large section of it out, so it would flap in the wind. Hopefully some observant person in the car behind them would wonder why a blanket had just appeared where the taillight should be.

Rolling on her side she turned her attention to her other discovery. At first she didn't know what it was, but then the memory of a long ago conversation with her grandmother had come to her, and she realized what she was looking at. Some of the newer cars had a hidden release in the backseat that let the backseat be pulled flat, and provided an opening into the trunk. This would come in handy if you were trying to transport something that was really long and wouldn't normally fit inside a trunk. There was a release in the backseat of the car, so that meant there had to be a release inside the trunk as well, she just needed to find it. Moving the penlight around, she gripped her warped spoon in her hand and went to look for the release.

****

~Cop car~

__

"55 Charlie come in please."

The squawk of the radio broke the tense silence in the car. Taggert reached over and picked up the radio. "55 Charlie go ahead."

__

"We got a sighting on your kidnap victim."

"Where?" Taggert took a curve faster than he should and the car fishtailed slightly before he righted it.

__

"On old highway #9 heading towards the Canadian border, he just passed mile marker #251."

"That's one of the roads that run near his cabin," Jason pointed out.

"What else do you have Lily?" Taggert asked the dispatcher.

__

"I got a woman on her cell, she was trailing the car, when the taillight went out on the car and a blanket came out of the taillight. She figured that meant someone was in the trunk and called 911l. The license plate she gave matches your APB on Jones."

"That means she's okay," Nikolas said in relief.

"Lily can you patch that call into this radio?" Taggert asked.

__

"Give me a minute Lieutenant," Lily replied. "Her name is Deb Villa."

"How far are we from there?" Jason asked.

"I know a shortcut that should put us out ahead of Tony on Route 9." Taggert replied and made a sharp turn onto a dirt road. He brought the radio to his mouth. "Alert the border and remind everyone that he has a hostage, probably in the trunk so no attempts should be made to force the car off the road, just follow if for now."

__

"Roger," Lily replied. "I have you patched in to the cell now, I'll monitor it as well and update the pursuit as needed."

"Thanks," Taggert heard static then another voice drifted over the radio. "Ms. Villa?"

__

"Call me Deb," came the good-natured reply. "You know this is just like Cops, I love that show. In fact I saw this happen on Cops once. A man snatched his ex-girlfriend and threw her in the trunk…"

A Cops junkie, Taggert sighed heavily this was just what he needed.

****

~Car~

Elizabeth pushed on the back of the seat and slowly lowered it down until it met the bottom seat. She gulped in the fresh air greedily and laid there for a minute in relief. Finally she forced herself to move and tried to crawl out of the trunk as quietly as she could. She could hear Tony singing along with his radio, and the sound made her stomach clench, but she forced past that and kept moving.

She had a vague idea that if she could hide in the backseat when Tony got out to get her in the trunk she could make a run for it, before he realized she wasn't in the trunk any longer. All she had to do was be quiet, be small, and be patient. She was flat on the back seat now, or as flat as she could be, with the back of the seat partially down on the bottom seat. She dropped her feet to the floor and shifted until she was sitting on the floorboards behind the driver's seat. Elizabeth reached up and pushed the backseat back into its normal position. The click it made when it latched sounded loud to her ears but the singing continued from the front seat.

Huddled on the floorboards Elizabeth remained tense in preparation to move the instant he stopped the car. Her eye fell on a box that was sitting on the floorboards behind the passenger seat. Curiosity and a need for a better weapon had her tucking her spoon in her back pocket and reaching out to the box. She opened the lid as quietly as she could and brightly colored fish lures greeted her eyes. She poked around inside the box and moved a bright purple lure out of the way, exposing a handful of bare fishhooks. Elizabeth never even hesitated, she grabbed several of the hooks and closed the lid.

Twisting the hooks in her fingers she made a fist and the fishhooks jutted out from between her fingers. This was definitely a better weapon than a spoon. Now all she had to do was wait. But the longer she waited the more she thought, and the more she thought, the more worried she became. What if she couldn't outrun Tony? What if he caught her? What if her escape attempt failed? Maybe she shouldn't wait until he stopped the car. Maybe she should attack now, while she had the advantage of surprise. 

She had never been a particularly brave person. At least not when it came to herself. She could be brave when she was fighting for her friends, or people she loved, but when it came to herself, she had never been very brave. Jason had always told her that she was stronger than she believed she was, maybe it was time to test his theory.

****

~Cop Car~

"Deb," Taggert tried in vain to interrupt the woman again, but she spoke over him.

__

"So why do you think they canceled Cop Rock? Sometimes I don't think those people at ABC know their asses from a hole in the head."

"Deb," Jason snapped. "What is going on now with the car?"

__

"Oh, there's no reason to yell I'm right here. What the hell?"

"What do you see?" Taggert demanded.

__

"Someone just climbed over the backseat. Oh my god, the car's fishtailing, it's swerving everywhere."

Jason clenched his fists, never had he felt so helpless. Taggert was speeding down a dirt road sirens' wailing, but his attention was on the radio and the voice coming out of it. A man who couldn't imagine, suddenly had no problems visualizing what Deb was describing.

__

"The car is spinning, he's losing it, he's losing control."

"Taggert hurry," Nikolas demanded.

__

"Shit," Deb cried out. "It went over the edge, the car went through the guard rail and over the side."


	11. Fallout

****

Babble: Well thanks to those who read this and left me a reply, it was nice to hear from you. If anyone is interested (which I doubt) I will be continuing the other stories I have on this board, as well as on the other board as soon as real life let's me. So please stay tuned, and if you made my little voyage into this _Quagmire_ please let me know what you thought of it.

So for those who are actually reading here you go….

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Quagmire

Part XI

****

~Cliff~

The car hadn't even come to a complete stop before Jason was out of it and racing towards the woman who was standing at the edge of the cliff looking over the side. The ominous sight of a guardrail with a gaping car sized hole directed where he needed to go.

"It went over here," the petite dark-haired woman pointed out needlessly, with a gesture to the hole.

Ill at ease Jason took a breath before stepping to the side and looking over the edge. When he spotted the car about 20 feet down, he let out a breath. The car was still in one piece. Smoke was visible but it seemed to be coming from the tailpipe not the engine. The car was on a ledge on the side of the cliff, while he was watching the car shifted and fell a few feet further.

"I haven't seen any movement in the car," Deb offered and her eyes widened in surprise when the blonde in the leather jacket stepped over the edge of the cliff and began working his way down to the car. "Is he nuts?" She turned to ask the smaller man with dark hair, who ignored her and followed the blonde over the edge of the cliff. "Insane."

"Ma'am," Taggert spoke from her side. "When the police arrive you need to direct them to our position." He flashed her his badge then worked his way over the side.

"And I thought my husband was insane," Deb muttered.

The side of the cliff was rocky, and overgrown with trees, and Jason crashed through the undergrowth with little care. He lost his footing about three quarters of the way down and fell hard on the ground. His momentum and gravity sent him flying down the cliff until he hit the ledge that the car was resting on.

Jason got to his feet quickly, ignoring the pain flashes in his knee and hip he moved towards the car. He could hear the crash in the undergrowth behind him and knew the others were on their way, but he couldn't wait. The ground was rocky, uneven and he made his way carefully to the car. 

He wanted to race to the car and get Elizabeth out of it, but instinct warned him to tread carefully. His caution was rewarded when he heard the car creak and rock forward again as the wind whipped through the area. The car rocked making its position even more precarious. 

The car sputtered and finally died the moment he reached the car. Keeping his hand on the body of the car he reached for the handle but the door was locked. Shifting closer he reached for the handle on the driver's door, but it was locked as well. Frustrated he peered through the window. 

Tony Jones was slumped over the wheel and appeared to be unconscious. Elizabeth was lying across the dash in the front window, the windshield was cracked and he saw some red on it that he knew was blood, she wasn't moving, but he ignored that for the moment.

"Is she alright?" Nikolas staggered his way to his feet after falling the rest of the way down the hill.

Nodding Jason shifted his focus to the ground around him. "Give me that rock," he pointed.

"Which one?" Nikolas asked.

"The big one, hurry," Jason snapped.

Nikolas picked up a rock the size of his hand and brought it over to Jason.

"Stand back," Jason ordered absently and smashed the heavy rock into the back window. It took two slams before the glass splintered enough that Jason dropped the rock and hit the glass with his hand, shattering what was left. He stuck his hand through the opening and unlocked the driver's door.

Ignoring the new cuts on his hand Jason shifted and opened the driver's door, the car seemed to moan and shift again. "Stay where you are Nikolas." He ordered when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. "The ground is shaky here."

Uncaring about any injuries Tony may have he yanked on the back of the man's head, pulled him back against the seat and reached for Elizabeth. Tony's girth and the wheel soon made him realize that it would be impossible to get Elizabeth out without first moving the doctor.

Shifting his attention he reached for the snap on the seatbelt but the latch refused to give. Almost snarling he pressed on the latch again but the seatbelt had been damaged and it refused to release.

"Taggert I need your knife," Jason yelled.

Taggert never even hesitated he pulled the switchblade from his pocket and threw it towards Jason. Catching it, Jason flicked the blade out and went to work.

"Do you think he's slicing Tony or the seatbelt?" Taggert asked conversationally.

"Does it matter?" Nikolas answered just as conversationally.

When he realized it didn't matter to him, Taggert froze. That was not a comforting realization. The faint sound of sirens reached his ears and he took a deep breath in relief. He was just having a bad moment because of his continued close proximity to Cassadine and Morgan, that was all, at least that's what he chose to believe.

The blade was sharp and it split the fabric of the seatbelt easily. Two slices and the seatbelt was trash. Jason dropped the knife on the ground gripped Tony's shirt and muscled the older man out of the car and threw him in the direction of Taggert and Nikolas, much like a rag doll. Both men stepped back and Tony crashed face first on the rocky ground.

Nikolas stepped over a prone Tony and moved towards the car. Taggert bent over Tony, took the man's arms and yanked them into position against Tony's back and slapped the cuffs on him as tight as he could. He took a step towards the car, then hesitated. Grounding out a sigh he stepped back to Tony and checked for a pulse. Finding it, he hesitated again then shifted Tony's head until it was on the side. A wry smile crossed his lips when he saw four fishhooks buried in Tony's face. Two on the cheek, one near his hairline and one embedded in the eye, he decided to leave them where they were, and turned to the car.

"Jason?" Nikolas called out.

"She's alive," Jason answered when he found the pulse in her neck. He shifted his weight inside the car and reached for her. The car took his movement the wrong way and the car began sliding down the side of the cliff. Caught off guard by the unexpected movement, and not fully in the car Jason almost fell when the car moved. He reached for the doorframe trying to stop the momentum, but gravity tore the car from his hands.

The hood rammed a half-grown tree about 5 feet further down and came to a stop, and Jason quickly made his way to the car. He paused long enough to scan the rest of the cliff. The next fall would probably be the last for the car. There wasn't anything big enough to stop the freefall anymore that meant he needed to get Elizabeth out of the car now.

Reaching the open door he leaned in as far as he could and tried to grab a hold of her. His need for caution in moving her, out of fear for her possible injuries, warred with the knowledge that the car could fall over the cliff at any moment. The car rocked again and he knew he couldn't wait.

Picking up her hand he moved it free of the steering wheel, and drew her body up slightly, and began pulling her from the dash. Elizabeth's head rolled to the side, her body remained limp in his hands. He backed slowly from the car bringing Elizabeth out with him. Her upper body had cleared the car, when gravity finally won out.

The car's weight broke the tree that was holding it up and the car flew over the cliff into air. Elizabeth's legs were still in the car when it began to fall and the forward movement of the car almost ripped her out of his hands. Straining to keep his grip on her Jason fell to the ground, his hold shifted on the impact and Elizabeth slipped free. 

Scrambling forward his movements continuous he managed to grab her wrist before she fell all the way over the edge after the car, her legs and lower body were in the air, but her upper body remained on the ground. The sudden increase of weight, shifted his own weight distribution and he began to slide on the loose gravel sending them both towards the edge. Diving forward Nikolas caught Jason's ankle and tried to stop the forward momentum. Taggert grabbed Nikolas, and their combined efforts stopped the forward fall of Elizabeth and Jason.

Jason could feel the delicate bones of Elizabeth's wrist, and ignoring their fragility for the moment he tightened his grip and began pulling her back up over the edge. It felt like forever but in time Elizabeth was soon firmly ensconced on the ground again. As soon as she was he yelled out for Nikolas to let go, and scrambled down beside her, rolling her over gently he began checking her for injuries. 

He felt her breath on his hand as he checked her face and sighed in relief. There was a large bruise on her forehead near her hairline, and that was where the blood was as well. But other than that her face was remarkably mark free. Her pulse was strong, and her breathing was good, and he was content to watch her and listen to her breathe while they waited for the ambulance.

"I'm going to check on the ambulance," Taggert announced and headed back up the cliff talking in his radio the whole time. 

Nikolas remained sitting where he was for another minute. Elizabeth was still but she was alive and he wanted a moment to celebrate that fact. Finally pushing to his feet his eye fell on the forgotten switchblade on the ground. Tony moaned behind him and before he realized what he was doing he had the switchblade in his hand.

Turning he studied Tony and unconsciously flicked the switch triggering the blade. How many times had be been in board meetings with Tony? How many times had the doctor lectured, looking down his arrogant nose at everyone else in the room? And all the while Tony had been nothing more than a rapist and a kidnapper. 

He could hear his father's voice in his head, telling him what he should do to the unconscious doctor. How could he trust Scott Baldwin or the PCPD to actually get a conviction for once? They'd had Tony dead to rights years ago, and Alexis had gotten him off. What if that happened again?

The switchblade fell from his hand back to the rocky ground. If that happened then something would be done, but not now. Backing away from the knife and the doctor, Nikolas turned back to look at his unconscious friend, whom he needed in his life so very badly.

****

~General Hospital~

"Jason," Carly croaked out a greeting.

"Hi," Jason shifted and brought the chair closer to the bed. "How are you doing?"

"Tired," she answered with a yawn. "Have you been here long?"

"Not really, you should rest."

"Why are you here?" Carly asked, shifting slowly, she tested her head's reaction to movement, and for the first time in over a day she didn't want to scream at the movement. "Shouldn't you be with Elizabeth?"

"She's having some tests done," he explained.

"Is she going to be okay?" Carly held her breath and waited for the answer. Sonny hadn't been willing to tell her much about Elizabeth's condition only that Jason had found her, and she hadn't been able to get anything out of her mother either. Of course Bobbie was barely holding on herself. Discovering the monster that Tony had been for years while she had been unaware had been brutal on her mother.

"She has a major concussion, a fractured wrist, bruised ribs, and a bruised shoulder, besides lots of cuts. She's been pretty out of it because of all the drugs she's on for pain," Jason listed Elizabeth's injuries coolly. Since finding her almost 24 hours before, Elizabeth had been mostly unconscious, leading to his continued frustration. He knew she was okay but until he could speak to her, until he heard her say she was okay, the knot in his stomach wasn't going to ease.

Carly covered his hand with hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "She's strong, a lot stronger than I ever gave her credit for, she'll survive this."

Moments like this were the reason this friendship was so important to him. He knew Carly didn't like Elizabeth, and there was a good chance she never would, but she was reassuring him about Elizabeth in order to help him. This was the quality of Carly that very few people saw, and it was one of the reasons he would never turn his back on her. "I know."

Closing her eyes, unwilling to see his face when she asked the next question, she nevertheless kept her hand in his. "Is it my fault? Tony lost it because of what happened with Michael and because of me. So it's my fault that she was hurt."

"Is it my fault that I listened to Robin when she pleaded for me to spare Tony's life? If I had killed him then he never would have been able to terrorize Elizabeth," Jason offered his own guilt.

"It's not your fault," Carly snapped immediately. "If anyone it's the saint's fault. What Tony did to Elizabeth he did before he took Michael. We didn't know he was dangerous then. I just knew he was mad."

"I knew he was mad too, he was the one who convinced the Quartermaine's to try to take Michael from me at Emily's birthday party. I saw him there that day, I knew he was losing it but I didn't think he'd already lost it." Jason remembered the tense confrontation in the Quartermaine living room, when Alan had refused to give him Michael.

"But I started it all, I didn't love Tony," she admitted quietly. "I thought I did at first, but if I'd loved him, I wouldn't have gotten so desperate. So I'm the one who started all of this."

"I don't think you are." Jason was used to Carly turning things around until everything was about her, but it was different this time. He could see the guilt she was feeling and knew it matched his own. "I've been talking to Bobbie, she said Tony never recovered from losing his daughter. He started changing, before you ever came to town. You didn't help matters, but this is Tony's fault."

"You're not going to let me blame myself are you?" Carly grumped.

"Are you going to let me blame myself?" Jason asked.

"You don't do blame remember? You don't look back because you can't change anything," she pointed out.

"Well you can't," Jason replied matter-of-factly. "I was surprised Sonny wasn't here."

"I kicked him out," she admitted.

"Why?"

"Why don't you talk to him anymore?" Carly countered and when he frowned at her she went on. "He's changed and not in a good way. Until he changes back, until I know that he wants to be with me, not just because I happen to be his wife, but because he _wants_ to be with me, I don't want him around."

"Carly…"

Whatever he was going to say was stopped when the door opened and Chris Ramsey walked into the room.

"How's my favorite patient?" Chris asked, his grin fading when he spotted Jason.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the doctor then turned back to Carly who smiled at him. Shaking his head he stood and kissed her cheek. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Tell Elizabeth," she hesitated. "Tell her…" she trailed off again then shrugged. "Forget it I'll talk to the muffin on my own."

Ignoring her words Jason gave the doctor a warning glare and left the room.

****

~*~*~*~

"Nikolas I'm going to be fine," Elizabeth reminded her friend for the fifth time.

"I realize that, but I'm allowed to be concerned," he smiled sheepishly. "Aren't I?"

"Aren't I?" Elizabeth parroted with a smile. "I've missed talking to you like this. Well not like this, I could do without injuries and hospital beds, but I've missed talking to you."

"I've missed you too." Nikolas took a deep breath then forced himself to keep the promise he'd made to himself during the search. "Jason was really worried while you were gone. I finally realized how much he really does care about you."

"Nikolas have you been taking my drugs?" Elizabeth asked.

"This isn't easy for me to say," he warned her with a sharp look. "But there's a good chance we wouldn't have found you if it hadn't been for Jason. So regardless of what I think of him, or the fact that he isn't good enough for you, I just wanted to say that the one thing I can say in his favor is that he really does care about you."

"That looked like it was painful for you to say."

"Don't make me repeat it, not ever," he pleaded.

"I won't," her attention shifted when the door opened behind Nikolas and the man they were talking about walked inside the room and hesitated when he saw Nikolas.

"I need to leave, I have to get to the PCPD, Lucky and Luke should be arriving soon," he got to his feet, stepped to the bed and kissed her cheek. "I'll come back by later. Think about what I said."

"I will, bye Nikolas."

Nikolas paused beside Jason then held out his hand. Surprised Jason shook the hand that was offered to him. Neither man said a word and the handshake was brief. Nikolas walked out the door and Jason moved to the chair that Nikolas had vacated.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got back, I thought I would be."

"It's okay," Elizabeth watched him settle in the chair. "Nikolas was waiting and it was nice to talk to him."

"Are you in much pain?" He asked when she sighed.

"At the moment I don't feel anything. Ask me in a few days when the drugs wear off."

"I'm sorry," Jason whispered.

Frowning in confusion Elizabeth followed Jason's gaze and realized he was looking at her taped wrist. Nikolas had informed her how Jason had pulled her free of the car a second before the car went over the edge, then had held on until he could pull her to safety. "I'm not, if you hadn't grabbed me Jason I wouldn't be here talking to you, so if anything I'm grateful for your strong grip."

Recognizing the glint in her eye Jason let the subject drop. "I'm sorry."

"What for this time?"

"For letting Tony get you."

"Jason," she sighed heavily and shook her head. "You didn't let Tony get me. I'm the one who insisted on going to Kelly's, not you. We didn't know it was Tony, if we did you wouldn't have let him get within 5 feet of me, we both know that. I also think that Tony is crazy enough that it didn't matter when he tried to get me, he was going to keep trying until he did."

"I had a bad feeling about you going to Kelly's but I didn't try to talk you out of it," Jason admitted.

"I wouldn't have listened if you had," she pointed out. "Is he…" she trailed off. "Did he lose his eye?"

"No the doctors saved it, but the cornea is torn, he lost his vision in that eye." He could see relief flash in her eyes, and could also see fear. "He can't get you. He's in the psych ward here, and as soon as he's cleared physically he'll be moved to Ferncliff. He's under constant supervision, both by the police and my people."

"It was him the whole time," she kept her focus on the blanket. "He admitted that he was the one who raped me, not Tom Baker."

"I know." Jason remained quiet. If she wanted to talk he'd listen but he wouldn't ask her anything, not yet.

"The way he described that night it was like he thought it was date. He's been thinking of me, ever since then," she shot him a look through her lashes. "I don't understand that obsession, or why it suddenly escalated the way it did."

Jason moved closer to the bed and tilted his head until he could see her eyes. "The police found photos in a storeroom that Tony used. They go back years, most of them are of you. He also has photos of lots of blonde women, the police have managed to identify and speak to some of them. They all admit to being harassed by a caller, for a period of weeks, sometimes a month, the police figure it was Tony. He was also the one who was stalking Courtney."

"Oh god," Elizabeth closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillow. "Did he hurt any of them?"

"No he only watched them and called," he reassured her, the best he could. "All the women were blonde except you, and they all bore a little resemblance to Carly. He focused all his anger on them. The anger he felt towards Carly, towards me."

"You?" Puzzled she opened her eyes in question. She could understand the fascination with Carly but not Jason.

"He's hated me for years, I helped keep Carly and Michael from him. According to him I'm not capable of feelings and have no right to be around a child, or anyone, at one point he wanted me institutionalized," he explained. "He couldn't get to Carly that night, so he found you. I let him live after he took Michael and Robin, so he was able to terrorize you and those other women."

"It's not your fault."

"I was going to kill him," he admitted honestly, determined not to hide anything from her again. "Robin begged me not too, and I listened to her. If I hadn't he would never have been able to grab you."

"Jason look at me," Elizabeth waited until he did. "Did my face change?"

"What?" Jason frowned in confusion.

"You just told me you were planning to murder Tony, did my face change?"

"No," he recognized his words from over a month ago.

"I'm glad you didn't kill him, because if you had there's a chance you wouldn't be here with me now."

"If I had you wouldn't be in the hospital right now," Jason shot back.

"Are we going to play the what if game? What if I never went to the park that night? What if Jason Quartermaine never got in the car with AJ? What if Carly never came to town?" Elizabeth sighed. "I've played this game so many times. Therapy finally taught me that the only one that is to blame in this situation is Tom, or I guess Tony."

Jason sighed seeing her point. He wasn't going to let Carly feel guilty, and Elizabeth obviously wasn't going to let him feel guilty.

"You say he's been watching me for years? What made him snap after all this time?"

"Me." Jason said simply.

"Jas…"

"Listen, he's watched you for years, and when you disappeared from work like you did, he called and called. But his messages didn't get really bad until that night in the ER when you burned your arm and talked to him. He thought you were with me, and his hatred of me wouldn't allow that, the messages he left you from that point on, pretty much all mentioned me and his hate of me."

She hated to think about the messages that she'd received but she realized that Jason was right. "So it was the combination of you and me, and don't say your sorry."

Jason's mouth snapped shut.

"You know he didn't remember what he did to me at first," the first tear slipped from her eye. "Tom Baker had been in the park that night, he was watching me as well, but apparently Tony got to me first. When Baker was convicted for what he did to Emily he contacted Tony. Basically Tom Baker was blackmailing Tony over what he'd done to me. When Baker told him, Tony remembered. He had raped me months before, but didn't remember doing it until Tom Baker got a hold of him and that's when his obsession with me grew."

Turning her head away from Jason's eyes and blinded by the tears that were falling with more frequency, she felt Jason sit on the bed next to her hip.

"I don't understand why Baker let me think it was him. Why he wanted to play with my head the way he did that day in his studio. I guess it doesn't matter why he said he did it, he would have raped me if Tony hadn't grabbed me first, instead he just watched. He stood there and watched Tony rape me." She couldn't help but shudder.

Reaching out Jason brushed the tears from her cheeks, but more quickly replaced them. "Tom Baker is just another monster, you can't explain him, anymore than you can explain Tony." He did his best to bury the anger and hatred he felt for both men.

""I don't want you to do anything to Tony," she brushed a remaining tear from her face and studied his reaction to her request.

Jason's expression went blank.

"It's not because I think he doesn't deserve it, because he does. It's because of Bobbie and you. You've told me that it's easier for you to talk to Bobbie, than it is for you to talk to Monica. I know you care about her and she cares for you. And as angry as she may be now, eventually she'll remember that she was married to him for years, she raised two kids with him. I don't want you to lose Bobbie because of Tony or me," Elizabeth explained. "Tony should either be going to jail or to a hospital. He'll be punished, and as long as I never have to be alone in the same room with him again, that's enough for me."

"What if he doesn't?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," her voice broke and tears formed in her eyes. "A part of me wants him dead, but then I think of what that would make me. Bobbie stuck her head in here earlier and I pretended to be asleep. How am I supposed to face her? To face Lucas? Do you have any idea how many times I've waited on Tony? I don't know what to say her. Bobbie held my hand when I finally had a rape kit done, she held my hand when I got the results of my Aids test. She helped me so much, and now she knows it was her ex-husband that did this to me."

"She's doesn't know what to say to you either," Jason interrupted. "She's remembers what you went through, and she is disgusted by the fact that a man she was married too hurt you. She's afraid you won't want to talk to her."

"I wish it had been Tom Baker," she whispered brokenly.

Jason moved closer and opened his arms, Elizabeth moved into them immediately and soon her tears soaked his shirt.

****

~Pentonville~

Tom Baker cursed under his breath and moved slowly through the room heading for the showers. His ribs were killing him, but that was nothing compared to the agony coming from his face. Morgan sure knew how to deliver a beating.

Setting down his towel he moved into the steamy shower, avoiding everyone's gaze. The word had been put out, he was now persona non grata in the prison. He'd doubled his bribe attempts to find a protector, but so far no one was willing to step to the plate. Ducking his head under the semi-warm water he cursed Tony Jones again.

The blackmail of the doctor had worked great for years, but now it was coming back to bite him on the ass. And now the good doctor seemed to be ignoring him, that wasn't going to be allowed to go on any longer. He had a feeling Jason Morgan would be very interested to know that it had been Tony that had raped the girl and not him.

The next phone privilege he got he was going to use it to contact the mobster. If he could spin it right, the brain-damaged mobster might even be grateful to him. The soap slipped from his hand, groaning he bent over to retrieve it. 

Standing upright again, he barely felt the blade of the homemade knife slide into his back between his fourth and fifth vertebrae. The soap slipped free of his hand, his mouth opened in shock and blood slipped out of it. The loss of sensation in his legs came quickly and he crashed hard to the shower floor. The blood escaping from his body mixed with the water turning it a weak shade of red before trickling out of the drain.

The other prisoners ignored the sight of the man dying on the floor. It wasn't the first killing in the shower and it wouldn't be the last one either.

****

~General Hospital~

"Thanks," Elizabeth managed a watery smile at the nurse who nodded and moved for the door.

Jason eyed the IV that led into Elizabeth's arm and glanced at his watch. Given the amount of pain medicine that the nurse had injected into the IV, he figured he probably had about 10 more minutes with Elizabeth before she lost touch with reality. Elizabeth had a very low tolerance when it came to the pain medication. When she sniffled he reached for the Kleenex box on the bedside table and set it on her lap.

Elizabeth's eyes followed his movement and her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized something on the table. "My spoon."

"Yeah it is," confused Jason picked it up and handed her the warped spoon. "I found it in your pocket, and while you were out of it, you mentioned the spoon a couple of times, so I kept it."

"This spoon saved my life," she explained cryptically and was determined never to lose this particular spoon.

"That's a good thing," he glanced at his watch wondering if his time estimate was wrong.

"Nikolas told me Carly got hurt trying to find me, is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, she had to have some surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain. She's complaining because they had to cut some of her hair to make the incision. She'll make a full recovery and should be out of the hospital by the end of the week."

"I'm glad she's going to be fine, and I'm grateful for her help, but that doesn't mean I like her," she reminded him.

"She's glad your okay too," he kept his expression bland. "And she doesn't like you either."

"Good, so long as were on the same page. So it looks like I'll be going home before she does, not that I have a home to go home too," Elizabeth remembered with a frown. "Gram wants me to stay with her, but with Sarah there's no way I'm going to do that. Nikolas wants me to come to Wyndamere, but I said no to that, so he offered to put me up in the Port Charles Hotel again."

"You can stay at the penthouse with me," Jason offered a little shyly.

"I don't know if that's smart."

"I'll give you all the space you want, there's plenty of room," Jason pointed out tilting his head he waited for her response.

Elizabeth smiled at his expression, it was a light one that she hadn't seen in years, not since that Christmas in her studio. "You're cute you know that?"

Jason's half smile turned into a full-blown grin. "You're cute too."

"Ugh," Elizabeth's smile turned into a frown. "Jason let me give you a hint. Never tell a woman she looks _cute_. You can call your sister cute, but never say that to a woman you were once romantically interested in because, believe me, she won't like it. Cute is the kiss of death."

He placed a finger over her lips stilling her rambling words. "The last time I told you that I thought you were beautiful you got all flustered and left." Her lips curved into a smile under his finger and a matching one formed on his lips. "You are beautiful, and I am still interested in you." Elizabeth's eyes widened and his finger moved from her lips, his hand cupping her cheek. 

"When you look at a woman like that and tell her she's beautiful, she's going to get flustered, breathing might even become a problem," Elizabeth replied with an honesty fueled by the pain medication. "And I'm still interested in you too."

Emboldened by her words Jason leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. It was supposed to be a simple kiss, one of relief over finding her and knowing she was safe, and also the relief over the fact that Elizabeth seemed to be willing to try with him again. But the simple quickly spiraled into so much more.

The chemistry, the feelings between them wouldn't be denied. Shifting closer he pressed his lips harder against hers until her lips opened under his. Taking the opportunity she gave him, he deepened the kiss. Her tongue brushed over his and he groaned into her mouth, shifting his hold on her head, angling her head to deepen it further. Every time he kissed her he wanted it go on forever. Breathing became a vice he wished he didn't have because he had to break contact with her mouth to do it.

"Wow that's better than any drugs," Elizabeth managed to say and rested her forehead against his. "You know what this means don't you?"

Jason took another breath before answering her question. "What?"

"It means I have to call Nikolas and tell him I'll take the hotel room."

Confusion had Jason pulling back to study her expression. Her eyes were beginning to glaze because of the drugs, but she still seemed to be in control. "Why?"

"Because this time I want our relationship to work. I don't want the memory of Lucky, or Robin, Carly, Michael, Sonny, or anyone in the relationship this time. I only want you and me in it. I know they'll always be a factor, but a relationship only works if there are only two people in it. We've never had that, we've always had hangers on."

Jason nodded in agreement. "But why does that mean you can't stay with me?"

"I don't want to rush things. The first time I admitted aloud that I had feelings for you, you asked me to go away with you, and that spooked me enough that I said no. Last month we admitted that we wanted to be together and you disappeared," she reminded him but there was no censure in her voice. "I don't want to rush, and I don't want to stay with a man I haven't even had a date with."

"I'm so…"

"Don't," this time she stopped his words. "I want to see you every day, I want to spend more than five minutes with you before we get interrupted. I want this relationship to begin on equal footing, and that won't happen if I stay with you now. Please understand, I need my space, almost as much as I need you."

"I don't but that's okay. I just want you in my life, so I'll do whatever you want to do," Jason replied and was startled when she punched him in the stomach. "Elizabeth?"

"I don't want to make the rules," Elizabeth snapped and shook her hand out. "I just want to take things slow."

"Then we'll take it slow and make things up while we go along, after all why should someone's else's rules apply to us?" Jason readily agreed and kept his words of love to himself, the last thing he was going to do was spook her. If she wanted slow, she would get slow, but she would also get determined.

Her smile returned when she recognized his words. "You really are cute you know that?"

"And your beautiful," he informed her before kissing her again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Alright a note in explanation.

I had several issues with the stalking storyline, some are probably obvious others may not have been. Who exactly did the real stalking storyline effect? AJ, Courtney, Jason? That's it, it had no effect on the rest of the canvas of GH and that is a pointless story. Did anyone else even know what was going on? Did they care? Where is the larger impact because I must have blinked and missed it. 

A story like this would effect a larger amount of the cast. Bobbie, Tony, Carly, Sonny, Jason, Elizabeth, Lucas, Felicia, and many more, the aftereffects could be lingering and that is what a storyline should do, it should effect more than just 2 people, if it ripples out and effects a large number that is when the story telling is really good.

So I used the history that already existed and just modified a few things here and there, but tried to keep everyone in character. Tony was supposed to the rapist, but the show ended up changing their mind. Then Elizabeth's rapist was never supposed to be caught, just like it is in real life a lot of the times I'm sad to say, but then the show changed their mind again. They made the rapist Tom Baker and tied the whole story up in a bow like a present. I hate it when they do that, so I untied the bow, and played around just slightly and I think more effectively.

Thanks for coming into my world of GH I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know.

Stephanie

Want this story? Ask me first please.


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